At It's Finest
by KMA-KISS.MEH.ASS
Summary: John's survived his first year in Japan, and the questions begin. What was Australia like? Why'd he leave? Why won't he wear a seat belt? A new case arrives, at a private girl's school and they investigate. Danger lurks in the shadows, breathing rot into the very air. When they colloid with this foe, will death greet them all?
1. March Day 1 Part 1

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

This story was inspired by my "It may be time." It was just a random fic that popped into my head, and I wrote it. Another idea shortly followed, and here it is!

**Please Review!**

* * *

The morning was cool, winter slowly ebbing and spring warming its way into the city and breathing new life into the very air. I watched the sky lighten from its watery grey color to a glossy pink, sending rays of sunlight through the rooftops that obscured my view of the park that was a block away from my apartment. In a few weeks, the sound of children from the church would be heard. I was glad that winter was well on its way to be over.

I had never experienced snow before, having grown up in Australia. It had a haunting beauty to it, a deadly calm. When it first began getting cold, I found myself bundling in heavy clothing before the snow even began falling. I wasn't use to the cold, and quickly realized it wasn't something I was going to like. But as the months dragged on, I became accustomed to it, though I still needed gloves for the short walk to the church in the mornings.

I smiled as I remembered the first time I tried driving in the snow:

_Monk was sitting up front with me in the passenger seat, his instrument placed on the floorboards in the back of my jeep. I had just bought a plastic cover for the top, and not a day too soon because a heavy snow came blowing down during his concert. Already, there was at least a foot of the stuff. I cranked the heat up._

_"Thanks for the lift, John." He buckled into the seat as I started the car. "I can't believe my car died at the gig."_

_"No problem, mate. I heard that kind of things happen when it snows like this." I smiled, slowly pulling out of the parking lot. I could feel the car tire crunching the snow, could feel them slip a little when I pulled to a stop at a red light. That had me worried - after all, I didn't know much about snow and didn't want to be the cause of a wreck._

_"Uh, John?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You're not wearing your seat belt."_

_I glanced down, and the light turned green. I slowly picked up speed, staying a mile or so under the speed limit. I hadn't wanted to tell him why, but we both knew it was dangerous, especially when it was practically a white out. "Yeah, I know."_

_"Okay. Just checking." He turned to face forward, but I could feel him give me a sidelong look. I felt my grip tighten on the wheel, and he must've seen it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him open his mouth._

_And then, we hit black ice._

_I've been in plenty of accidents growing up. I was driving and hit a pot hole, blew a tire and slammed into a telephone pole. I was dirt biking with a few friends, hit a rocky incline and went over the handlebars. I tumbled down a ravine and woke up in the hospital. I drove through floodwaters, skidded and hit the edge of the bridge, shaking the rusted cables._

_But spinning out on this icy, deserted road was one of the worst accidents yet._

_When we skidded to a stop, halfway on the other side of the road, we looked at each other. I had started laughing, partly from relief and partly because if I didn't, I was going to start shaking and wouldn't be able to keep driving - that night, and for the rest of the winter. He stared at me wide eyed and mute. I threw the car in drive, and we continued in silence._

My alarm buzzed by my bed, where it sat on the nightstand. I jumped when it had started, and felt a sharp stab of irritation as I slapped it on. I hated, hated, _hated_ that noise. Why I never bothered to replace it was beyond me. I looked back at the dawn before shuffling to my closet. Today, at SPR we were meeting with a potential client. Some older woman from a private school that was about two hours away from the city. Naru had left everything else under wraps.

I quickly packed my clothing and materials into a black duffle bag. I knew that if Naru wanted to get up and move, that he'd want us to do so quickly, and I figured it'd be a waste to just turn around and come back. I ran through my mental check list, and zipped the bag closed. It had a little weight to it, but nothing like Naru's machines. After that, I grabbed a black tank top, grey jeans and a dark green button down shirt. I got showered and dressed quickly.

I was out the door no more than fifteen minutes later, wearing a black coat. I was on the top floor of an apartment complex with no elevator. It was hell at three in the morning, with no lights and a heavy bag after a long and draining case - but it was quiet and close to the church. It was only a ten minute drive to work, a good thirty minute walk in the summer. If it weren't so cold, I would be walking to work everyday.

The fresh morning air had a slap of cold in its bite as I stepped out. I held the door out for my neighbor. She gave me a kind, tired smile. She worked nights at the hospital, and would ask me to keep her patients in mind during my prayers. She took a look at my coat and gloves, and slipped inside with a soft chuckle. "Its suppose to warm up a little today, Father John."

I smiled, "I hope so. The winter is beautiful, but I'd be more comfortable with the heat."

We said good bye, and I made a bee line for my jeep. Growing up, all I needed were all terrain tires, extra parts on supply, a two way radio, a few bottles of water and a first aid kit. Here, I needed a change of snow tires, warm blankets, a spare battery, a first aid kit, a lighter and a lot of other things, in case I was in an accident and wasn't able to contact another person. It was totally bizarre.

My deep green jeep, complete with black roofing, sat in its usual spot.

-X-

As I drove, I saw a familiar pink jacket and pulled over. I threw open the door, "G'day Mia. Need a lift?"

"Thanks! I was running late." She hopped in, slammed the door and we took off down the street. She too buckled in, unzipping her jacket. "Its so warm in here."

"Sorry," I chuckled. I turned down the heater. "I'm still not use ta the cold."

"Oh, its not a problem!" She beamed. Her face turned thoughtful. "Hey, Australia is, like, really hot all the time right?"

"Not _really_ hot," I mused as a stop sign came up. "Its just a bit warmer than the northern countries. And its not all the time. Sometimes we get temperatures as low as sixty degrees."

"Oh." She said, clearly still thinking, if her voice was anything to go by. "What's it like living there?"

I hit the brakes a little harder than necessary, and she made a soft noise. No one had ever asked me that - not when I started working with the church, helping with the hospital, working with Mai and the others. I looked around and pushed the vehicle forward. the light outside was growing stronger, and suddenly, I wanted to be at work and pretend this conversation wasn't happening. I could feel the frown on my face, my face almost tight and eyes focused on the road. "Well...it's like living anywhere, I guess. It has its own culture, its own traditions and meanings that outsiders wouldn't automatically understand."

She gave a light laugh as we pulled into the parking lot, "That's not really an answer, John. What was it like? Summer all year long, deserts and snakes and who knows what else! Come on, I wanna know."

I put the jeep in park, but didn't look at her. I looked at my hands, which were in my lap. Something about my tone was off, no matter how hard I tried to keep it steady and disinterested. "It was hot, and it would rain for days. There were dirt bike competitions and racing, hikers and dangerous animals - like dingos. Those things were nasty creatures. Poisonous spiders whose venom could eat away flesh. It was dangerous, and beautiful and home. Its hard to explain, and I'd rather not try."

I looked up to see her eyes intently staring at me, an unspoken question hanging in the air - though, I hadn't the slightest clue as to what she wanted to ask. I opened the door, and she took the hint to follow me. We made it inside, to find Monk, Ayako, Lin, Naru and Masako in the reception area.

Mai opened her mouth, eyes still on me, when Naru interrupted her, "Mai, tea."

"Naru!" She snapped, but walked over to the kitchen area. "I'm talking with John. Did you know that, in Australia, there are spiders' whose venom can eat your flesh away?"

All the eyes in the room landed on me and I thought, _Regurgitation at its finest._

Instead, I said, with a shrug, "It's true."


	2. March Day 1 Part 2

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

This story was inspired by my "It may be time." It was just a random fic that popped into my head, and I wrote it. Another idea shortly followed, and here it is!

**Please Review!**

* * *

I put my coat in the rack next to Mai's. Monk's was draped on the arm of the couch, and Ayako's was on the back on the chair. A few minutes later, Lin walked in and handed Naru something to sign. Already, I could smell the earthy sent of the herbal tea Mai was making. Before coming to Japan, I wasn't much of a tea person and after the first month of trying to adjust my taste buds, I found that there were just some teas I couldn't stand. The herbal that Mai was currently making was one of them. I hated to decline her tea.

As she came back in, there was a knock on the door. Being closest, I opened it. I was greeted by an older woman, her hair grey and wrapped into a professional bun. Her eyes were a sharp, steely blue. But, they sparkled with a light hearted amusement. I stepped aside. "Hello and welcome."

She smiled, but the grey bags under her eyes and pale completion urged to me to escort her to the nearest chair. "Good Morning. My name is Tamari Nara, and I called yesterday about the girl's academy...?"

"Yes, Ms. Nara." Naru leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, fingers interlocked in front of his face. "Shall we get down to business? The sooner we get this interview finished, the sooner we can decided on our position on the matter."

"May I take your coat?" I asked as she pulled it off.

"Oh, why thank you, young man." She handed it to me and sat down. I put it in the case next to my coat. "Yes, yes. Let's get on with this. We are in need of dire help."

I caught Mai finishing putting the tea on the tray with the cups. I picked it up before she could and she smiled. I led her back towards the group and handed out the tea. Naru was already questioning her. The others were listening intently, Monk's arm hanging off the back of the sofa.

"-has this been going on for?"

"Well, it all started about a month ago." She answered, after some thought. I handed her a cup of tea, but she hardly even looked at it.

Naru nodded as Lin typed away on his computer. "Now, in detail, tell me what's happened so far."

"It started with an uneasy feeling in the halls, after lights out. Cold spots began appearing, sometimes even in the boiler room - and its always almost eighty degrees in that room. And then, came the shadows in classes, and the laughter. Its such a horrible noise." She shuttered, "At night, the wind howls like screaming and several windows have been broken by the wind and nothing else! About a week ago, two of my students were attacked."

"Attacked?" Mai gasped, "How?"

The old woman's eyes shot up, fear filling them. "They were dragged up the stairs, kicking and screaming. There was no one there, no one. Whatever it was broke their ankles, not to mention the concussions from being ripped up those steps."

Naru had that look in his eye. "Anything else?"

Tamari nodded gravely before unzipping her purse. She pulled out a handful of photographs, and passed them to me. "These were taken just last night. Its why I called. Its gotten too out of hand. My students are in danger. I didn't know what it read at first; I don't speak English. I had a teacher translate."

I looked at the picture; they were of a large wall with a summer scene, flowers dotting the lower part and a large oak with a tree in its middle. It was a mural, and a shockingly good one at that. It was so life like - but that's not what made me suck in a sharp breath.

On it, written in what looked to be blood, was indeed English. I read it aloud, translating, "This school destroyed me and forgot me. This place will be destroyed. My rage will not be so easily forgotten."

Uneasy glances were shared around the room. Naru looked thoughtful and Lin had looked up from his screen, eyes drilling into our boss's face. Naru straightened and stood up, "We will help. We leave in an hour."

The relief in her face made my heart clench. She looked so frail and it made me guilty that Naru had made it seem like we wouldn't help her, when something like this was happening and hurting people. She got to her feet, bowing deeply. "Oh thank you. Thank you."

"If you need a ride back, I can give you one." I offered, handing the pictures to Naru.

She looked at me in surprise, but gave a soft smile. "Oh, I think not but thank you. I need to leave now. I don't want to leave my students there alone. Yes, there are teachers there, but...the students, they're my responsibility as the principal and dean."

I grabbed her coat from the unit, "I can leave right now. I have a bag waiting in the vehicle. While we're waiting for the others, I can perform interviews from other eye witnesses."

"Oh, well, if you're sure..."

"I am." I gave a firm nod, grabbing my own coat. I looked around the room. "Anyone else ready to go a while?"

Monk raised his hand. "I always have a go-bag ready, in case of emergencies. Can I get a ride with you?"

Mai had that look on her face, as if she's just realized something important about a person, or situation. I decided not to read too much into it. Naru was already discussing possible theories with Lin, while Ayako and Masako were getting ready to grab the stuff they'd need from their own apartments.

"Sure," I helped Ms. Nara into her coat before putting mine on. "You ready, Ms. Nara?" I asked politely, opening the door.

"Oh, Yes. But please, call me Tamari, Mister...?"

"Brown." I answered, giving a small bow. "John Brown."

"He's a priest," Mai chipped happily.

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, before she nodded. She glanced between me and the others. "You're...a little young, I think. You all are, honestly. But, according to the person I talked to, you do good work. Please, when you get there, be careful."

"We will," Naru promised, his eyes intent.

-X-

She gave me directions from her seat in the back. She insisted on sitting in the back, where she could stretch out. I think because of all the stress - and partly because of those bags under her eyes - that she hadn't been sleeping well. She was taking the chance to rest up; having gotten up at four just to get to her appointment on time probably hadn't helped any.

Soon enough, she drifted to sleep. I was glad she was resting, though Monk was having a bit of a freak out. He had the only map I owned in his lap, spilling onto the floor and fighting with it. He was wrinkling, and I heard a sharp tearing noise, before he moaned, "I don't know where we're at, John."

Chuckling, I reached down to my console and pressed a few buttons from memory. When a low hum filled the vehicle, I said, every clearly in English, "(Vocalized directions to Hizamuno Academy)."

Monk looked over at me, a confused frown on his face. A moment later, a soft computerized voice told me to go left at the next stop sign. Monk jumped at the sound, head swerving to the console. "You have a GPS?"

"Yeah."

"And it only speaks in English?"

"No." I said slowly, "But I don't know how to change the settings yet."

"Huh," he leaned closer to it. "How long have you had it?"

I tried to drag up the memory of when I had gotten it, slowly turning left and heading out of the city. Eventually, I gave up. I knew it was before I had come to Japan and that it had been before my becoming a priest. "Three years ago? Maybe more."

"Wait, wait, wait." He snickered, "You've had this thing for at least three years, and you hardly know how to work it?"

"Yeah. So?" I gave him a quick look before looking back to the road.

"Nothing." He said unconvincingly. He turned his attention to the window and we lapsed into a comfortable silence. A few minutes, he broke it. "Flesh eating spiders."

What he said was so absurd, I gave him another glance. "What?"

"Australia. Does it really have flesh eating spiders?"

"No." I said slowly. My index finger tapped on the wheel, "Its their venom that decomposes live tissues. You get bit by one of them, in an hour you've lost a big chunk of skin. Sometimes, the doctors have no choice but to cut away the diseased flesh, depending on how badly its spread."

He grimaced, shuttering, "That's gotta be painful."

"Oh it is," I nodded. The GPS told me to take a right and follow the highway. "I've had broken bones that've hurt less."

"Wait!" He choked out, "You've been bitten by one of them?!"

"More like ten," it was my turn to grimace. That was an unpleasant memory, to say the least. "I stepped into a nest that had just hatched. I was about eight."

Monk gave a low whistle, "Man."

I nodded, though I wasn't sure what I was agreeing to.

After a moment, he said, "Wait. What bones did you break? I broke my arm once. Hurt like a bitch."

_I wasn't the one breaking them_, I thought hotly. Instead I said, my hands tightening on the wheel. "My arm, twice. My leg. My ribs."


	3. March Day 1 Part 3

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

Monk frowned, "That's a lot of injuries for just one person."

I gave a non-committed shrug; it wasn't like I wanted to tell him why I had been hospitalized so many times growing up. We fell into silence again, only this one was heavier and a bit uncomfortable. He turned back to the window and I felt like I had offended him or something. That was weird though. How could I offend him if he hadn't asked a question that I hadn't answered?

_No, not offended,_ I decided. _Hurt that I wasn't willing to come forward with more information, probably because he thinks that I think I shouldn't tell him for one reason or another_. I bit back a sigh, because that was exactly why I wasn't telling him.

This was gonna be a long drive.

-X-

The next hour passed in the same silence. Tamari slept peacefully in the back, for which I was glad. I kept following the directions given to me by the computerized voice, and every time it spoke up suddenly, Monk would jump a little. He wouldn't know where we were going, or what it said until I had changed direction. I was beginning to think it unnerved him a little.

He let out a heavy sigh when it spoke again. "That's gotten annoying."

"What?" I asked, though I was betting I already knew.

"Not knowing what it's saying." He sounded like he was pouting, so I glanced over real quick. He was slouched in his seat, arms crossed and a pout put firmly in place. I knew it was rude to laugh, but I couldn't stop the chuckle. He scowled, "That's not funny."

"You're right," But I couldn't smother the chuckles. "If you want, I can teach you some English while we're driving."

He blinked and sat up, "Lay it on me."

"Okay, so the English word for 'monk' is..."

-X-

"John, pull over!"

"What?! Why?!"

"I need to take a leak."

"I think peeing in public is illegal." _Jeez, don't scare me like that again. I thought something was wrong._

"Do you want your jeep to smell like pi-"

"Pulling over!"

-X-

Finally, _finally_, we made it. My back was sore, my butt was numb and I really needed a bathroom break. We had pulled off to the side a few miles back and ordered the biggest sodas I have ever seen from a fast food place. Bad idea, on my part.

A gravel driveway led up to the school, past the iron wrought gates. Students were milling around, all wearing the same uniform. There was a front yard, expansive and dotted with trees, grass poking through what little snow remained. I went all the way to the building to the back, where the driveway ended. There was a large circular pond, which had the gravel driveway circle around it. I pulled up along side it. The water was murky, looking a nasty green with stuff floating along the top.

I jumped out, my legs going all tingly as I stretched them. They ached in ways I could hardly believe - almost as bad as when I had flown over here on a nearly twenty hour flight, thanks to unexpected delays. Monk had gently woken Tamari a few minutes prior, and she wouldn't stop apologizing for falling asleep. We were able to get her to stop when we started telling her what we'd need during out stay. She stepped out of the jeep, smiled as she passed and headed inside.

Monk and I trailed behind her, leaving our stuff in the vehicle. To the left and right were large buildings, full of windows and teenagers spilling out the front doors. The reflective surfaces of the windows made it hard to see into. Tamari began, "To the right is the freshman and sophomore dormitories. To the left, the junior and senior dormitories. Ahead of us, is the main building."

Monk and I pulled up along either side of her, "Is this where all the activity happening?"

"Correct, Father John. The dorms haven't had any happenings."

To our immediate right stood what looked to be an old-styled, gothic mansion. It expanded outwards from the front. It almost reminded of Bruce Wayne's manor, but I kept that bit to myself. It was four or five stories, dark stones and kept clean. It had spiraling columns and gargoyles - they looked mean, twisted in protective poses and worn by times, seemingly distorted - balconies and a wrap around porch. In a word: creepy.

I followed her up the stairs after a moment of looking at the student body. They hadn't started classes yet; it was one of the newest trends in the USA, starting classes an hour or so later than traditionally done. According to newer research, teenagers in this era of time had a chemical in their brains that kept them up later than they wanted. Some scientists theorize that this chemical had always been present, but is only now making itself known because kids now-a-days don't do back breaking labor all day, and are therefore not physically exhausted.

It made sense, I guess.

We entered into a long corridor, a staircase to our immediate right and left. I could see a computer room at the very edge of the hall, closed doors lining the corridor. The stairs curved upwards a story before breaking into a landing that I could just barely see. She led us up the wooden stairs, past pictures and awards hanging off the wall and in inlaid display cases. "You'll be given the library on the third floor, eastern wing. It overlooks the pond."

"Great." Monk nodded, "Now, we'll need you to just tell them over announcements that we're here and were to find us if they want to tell us what they know or saw."

"Of course. Anything we can do to help," she led us down a short hall and opened double doors to the library. With just a glance, I knew it was bigger than my apartment.

Books lined the walls so high that there were ladders attached to the golden rods, and they had wheels at their bottoms, to move them. Bookshelves made of dark hard wood sat in long lines on one side, crammed with thick volumes. To the other side were tables and leather padded chairs, still surrounded by books on walls, and computers. There was still more than enough room to set up our own tables for the screens. There were large windows that flooded the area with light.

"Its not our largest library. If you need something bigger -"

"Oh, no." I cut her off, realizing that we hadn't said a word after walking in. "This is more than enough room."

After that, she had to leave to attend to her duties. She left us a blueprint of the building's layout so we wouldn't get lost. Monk walked down the aisles of the bookshelves, as I texted Mai, telling her we made it and had Base ready for their arrival. I looked at the ceiling, which was ten feet above my head, painted of dragons and a brewing storm.

"Man, would you look at all of this?" He called, holding up three books. "They're all the same book - look at the book cover and authors. They're all in different languages!"

I squinted to see from where I was, "English. Japanese. Chinese. German. And...I think, Russian."

He looked at the five books he was holding before putting them back, his voice conversational, "You know a lot of languages?"

My gaze found the ceiling again, shrugging, "I can make do. I'm fluent in English, Spanish, and Japanese. I can identify Chinese and German, but that's about it."

His eyebrows rose to his hairline, but he quickly focused on something else, "Why are you staring at the ceiling?"

-X-

By the time the others arrived, we had interviewed all the girls who had witnessed anything strange and had agreed to stay in the substitute teacher housing. Lin, Monk, Naru and I brought up the screens and bigger machinery while the girls took our personal bags and dropped them off in our assigned rooms. As Monk and I helped carry load after load up the stairs, we explained everything we knew - which was really just relaying what Tamari had already told us.

By the fourth or fifth run, Monk was panting and Naru had traded in his long sleeves for short sleeves. Lin loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves. By the seventh or eighth run, they were all out for the count, taking a fifteen minute brake while the girls ran up the wires, cords and small cameras. Having not taken up so much at once like Lin or Monk, I still had the strength to heave the stuff up those dreaded stairs. I had the stamina, after living on the fifth floor for a little over a year now. Class was in session, so we tried to stay quiet.

It was late morning by the time we had Base set up - let alone actually go and set up the cameras. Mai and Ayako went to do that, following one of the maps I had sketched out from the blueprint. I had circled in red where the attacks had happened, and that's where the first cameras were set up. Masako and Monk were set to search for spirits while I took my first rest of that day. Naru wasn't an idiot. He couldn't have me work so much and not be ready for if something happened.

In my time off, I pulled out a book I had been reading for the past few days about PK. There were a lot of theories as to why one person may have a lot of it, while others had little to none. It was also an interesting read, because they had little lessons to try and see if you had any yourself. I hadn't tried any, but figured it could be fun to try sometime.

-X-

"Now we wait."

**Please Review! **

**I'm not sure what pairings I'll be making yet. Give me your opinion?**


	4. March Day 1 Part 4

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

We ordered from a near-by pizza place for lunch.

Mai had taken to laying on the floor with Monk, watching the ceiling's painting, looking for anything odd. At least, that's what I thought they were doing. I was sitting at a table, reading and drinking my soda. I'd glance up every now and then, just to keep an eye on the others - and, because if I didn't, I'd get lost in my own little world of reading. Ayako and Masako had taken a few of the computer chairs over to the window, where the warmth of the sun sank into their bodies, and were whispering excitedly about something. Lin and Naru were off doing whatever it is they do in their down time.

_Probably re-interviewing the witnesses because Naru thinks we're all idiots_, I thought suddenly. I just as quickly winced as it crossed my mind. I couldn't blame my lack of sleep for that kind of thought, and bowed my head in prayer. That was beyond rude of me.

The low buzz of conversation stopped halfway through my prayer, and I didn't really want to know why, even though I already did. Sighing, I gathered my trash and rounded the desk, throwing it away. I stretched, trying to cover up my yawn before turning back around.

Mai was now sitting cross legged while Monk had rolled onto his stomach. The two other girls were also watching me. I wanted to just leave it at that, but I didn't want to be rude or seem to be in a foul mood. "What's wrong?"

Mai tilted her head, like a puppy would. "What was that? What you were just doing, just then."

I looked behind me, and turned back "Stretching?"

Monk smirked in amusement, "Before that."

I pursed my lips, eyes finding the ceiling before looking at them again, "Throwing away my garbage?"

Mai laughed and Monk scowled but his eyes told me he was laughing too. Ayako just shook her head and resumed talking to Masako. I gave myself a mental shake and went back to my book. Monk rolled into a crouch, "You didn't answer her question."

"I tried," I winced internally. Monk sat with his legs under him, watching me curiously.

Mai was still grinning, "When you put down your book and bent you head over your hands. I saw your lips moving, and your eyes were closed."

"Oh." Great. "It was a prayer."

"Nothing bad happened yet." Ayako chimed in, crossing her legs.

"Better safe than sorry." I shrugged, marking my place in my book. I put it under the bible I had with me. "Be right back."

Mai had that thoughtful look in her eyes, and I made my way to the doors. I needed air, and I wanted them to move onto another conversation - one that didn't revolve around me. But just as my hand hit the knob, she asked, "What's your religion about? I mean, it didn't originate in Japan, and I haven't heard that much about it growing up."

_What part of 'be right back' didn't she understand?_ I wondered tiredly. I turned around, putting on another false smile. "Well, it's hard to explain in a short period of time. We only have another ten minutes before Naru's back and we start working again. How about I tell you about it after the case?"

Mai seemed to consider this, then nodded. "Okay!"

"Now, I'll be right back." I slipped out the door before they could ask where I was going. I wanted to go to the car and grab my Ipod so that when we were researching, I had something to listen to other than Lin's keys click-click-clicking away. I made my down the second flight of stairs, seeing one of our cameras out of the corner of my eye.

The wood steps above me gave an eerie creak, and that was my only warning.

I twisted around to see if someone had followed me, but when I found it empty I felt something in me freeze. The fine hairs on the back of my neck rose up, and I could hear the faint buzzing of my blood in my ears as I strained to hear anything - anything at all.

Then, something painful cold latched onto my lower leg with frightening strength. I stood there, slowly looking down but seeing absolutely nothing - except that my pants now had what looked like a handprint on them. I opened my mouth -

but I was already being brutally ripped up the stairs by my right leg.

My head clipped the stairs, and white pain exploded behind my eyeballs. I blindly reached for something - anything - to grab, to slow myself down. I was dragged around the landing and I caught the rail with white fingers. It slammed to a halt, before lifting my leg high and yanking with enough force to almost dislocate my wrist. I reached into my jean's pocket as I started shouting the first prayer that came to mind, eyes squeezed shut at it yank harder and harder until my grip was ripped from the railing.

I twisted around with the momentum, splashing blindly at it with holy water.

There was an inhuman howl of agony and rage. I found myself tumbling down the steps when it released me suddenly and without warning. I hit the landing with enough force to knock my lungs free of their air. For a moment, everything was still, quiet. But I knew it was there, could feel it in the very air. Waiting.

"John!" Monk's voice boomed as they pounded down the stairs.

It vanished, and I found my breath. I rolled to my side, clutching my wrist and breathing jaggedly. My leg felt like I had frost bite, but it hadn't grabbed my ankle, which is probably why it wasn't broken. My wrist was in agony.

"John, man!" Monk dropped down next to me, "You okay?"

I heard Mai gasp, "His wrist!"

"Damn it," Monk hissed.

Masako hid her mouth behind her sleeve, eyes wide.

I painfully sat up, groaning in pain. I chanced a look at it. Already, it was bruising darkly, a nasty purple and blue. It was clearly dislocated, my hand just hanging. Monk grabbed my good arm and helped my to my feel. I stumbled to the railing. I knew what I had to do, but it didn't mean it'd be fun. I put my hand on the railing, moved the wrist into place. I didn't even give myself time to think about it.

I bite back a shout of pain as white burned along my nerves, as the joint popped back into place with a sick noise. I cradled my wrist close to my chest, hunched over it. I was panting slightly, shaking from the ebbing adrenalin. "That...hurt."

Mai rushed to my side, inspecting it closely. "How'd you do that?"

"It wasn't broken." I explained, slowly flexing my fingers as the feeling came back.

Monk shared a meaningful look with Ayako.

"What wasn't broken?" We all turned to see Naru coming up the steps with Lin.

-X-

The cameras caught everything.

Monk had run to my car to grab the first aid kit. He had whistled at the size, and some of the materials inside it. I wrapped my hand and wrist in an ace bandage; it was all any hospital would do. Monk seemed to be growing more and more concerned at how I was able to just shrug this off.

"We should have a doctor look at it." He insisted, as Naru replayed the incident.

"This is all they'd do!" I said for the tenth time. "They'd take a few x-rays, put it in a ace wrap and tell me not to use it for the next few weeks. It'd be a waste of time."

"He's right," Lin said.

But Monk and Mai weren't swayed. "Aren't you in pain?"

I shrugged, "I'm used to it."

"Broken and dislocated bones are different." Monk said, sounding angry. "How do you know its not broken?"

I felt my anger rise, but I couldn't stop myself. "Because I've had both enough times to identify which are which! Enough, Monk. I'm not going to the hospital."

A cold shock poured into the tension that had risen thickly in the air. My eyes widened at hat I had said. Even Naru had dragged his eyes away from the screens to look at me. I turned and left the room, the door banging as I exited.

"John, wait!"

**Thank you, Ghost Hunt Lover, for being the first to Review!**

**Please Review! **

**I'm not sure what pairings I'll be making yet. Give me your opinion?**

**Pairings (if any) will be made by fifth chapter.**


	5. March Day 1 Part 5

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

I found myself in the jeep, hands shaking and breathing hard. I jammed the keys into the ignition, only to have Tamari's relieved face flash across my vision. I couldn't bite back the groan, and let my head rest against the steering wheel. I ripped the keys out and shoved them into my pocket. "_Fuck_."

I reached across the passenger seat, back stretching and arm straining, and popped open the glove compartment. In it sat my white Ipod, with the headphones wrapped around it. I grabbed it, slammed the compartment shut and got out of the jeep. The door shut behind me and I saw the pond again. As I put the ear buds in, I walked closer to it. The color was dark, smelling of moist rot and looked putrid. When was the last time this thing was cleaned?

I turned up the music a little, pointedly ignoring Mai and Monk who had run after me.

They stood a few feet back, chests heaving because of their sudden run. Monk's lips were a hard line and Mai's arms were crossed. She had forgotten her jacket, and a cold wind was tearing through. I saw goosebumps rise on her exposed arms and the shiver that shook her frame. I couldn't stand seeing her cold; I myself hated being cold. I unzipped my jacket, my motions jerky because of my anger, and shrugged out of it. I tossed it at her without looking.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as she slowly pulled it on, "T-Thanks, John."

I shrugged, fighting the urge to shake from the cold. I could see my breath now. I went over to the pond, looking it over. The pond had a wall of stone raised around it, dead vines clinging to it. Maybe it was meant for students to sit on during the summer? It could easily fit three of my jeep across, headlights to bumper.

Another gust of wind blew past, ripping through my hair and stealing what little warmth I had. Still, I couldn't bring myself to face them. To go back inside. I put my hands on the wall, which came up to my knees, and peered into the water. I could make out parts of my reflection, and dead leaves dragged along the top due to the wind. I wondred how old this thing was.

I could feel myself slowly calming down, forcing the anger into the tightly chained box in the back of my mind. For the first time in years, I felt the urge to light a cigarette and puff a whole pack. I glanced at the jeep; I still had a pack stashed in the dash, for when Father Minuza was having a difficult day. Call me an enabler, but I knew what it was like to go a few stressful hours without a cig. It never ended pretty.

The song ended, and I took out the ear buds, putting it in my pocket.

"Let's head back in," Mai suggested, eyes filled with concern.

I needed a cig.

"Yeah." Monk agreed. "Its cold. I won't force you to go to the hospital, but only if you promise to tell me if the pain gets too bad."

I really needed a cig.

I gave a slow, reluctant nod, leading the way back inside.

I'd grab one later.

-X-

I hated when it was really cold, and then you walked into a really warm place. It made me feel disoriented and tired. It was one of the reasons I really started hating winter. Even if I was only outside for a few minutes and came right back in, it happened. Sometimes it was so bad, I'd get dizzy. This time was no different.

Masako watched me like a hawk when I came in; Lin and Ayako just gave us a glance as Naru began directing us on what to do. There were still a few cameras to set up - and I got drafted to help Monk while Mai made tea. We were also suppose to take temperature readings again.

We each grabbed a box, loaded down with two cameras and their wires each. We made our way up to the roof, where the for the pool had shattered twice already - and the skylight had been made of bullet proof glass, both times. According to eye witnesses, it looked someone had taken a hammer to it, slowly cracking the glass until it broke. The students barely had enough time to launch themselves out of the pool when the shattered glass came raining down.

"This school has everything, and then some." Monk said as I set up the camera. He was peering over the skylight, looking into the empty gym room. All swimming classes had been cancelled until further notice. "I mean, that pool has to be forty feet long. And this school has three of them."

"It's a private school. Wealthy families are always donating to make sure their kids have the best education money can buy."

"Yeah." He stood up with his hands on his hips. "But this is over the top. Public schools could use the funding; there's been a lot of cutbacks recently."

"Not all wealthy families are generous," I said. "Its just the way the world works; it doesn't matter what country you're in."

Monk's face twisted into a scowl. "Yeah, I know. I guess growing up at a temple makes me more sensitive to these kinds of things. Growing up, all I was ever taught was that every person is equal to the next, that they all deserved equal opportunities and chances. It makes me angry and sad to see such a waste of good money." He turned to face me as I adjusted the camera's settings, "What about you?"

"What about me, what?" I asked, fiddling with the wires, and beginning to tape them down so they didn't trip anyone.

"What did your parents teach you about stuff like this?"

I barely kept myself from flinching, but I knew he noticed. I stood stiffly and quickly went to the box, threw in the tape and started walking without a backward glance. "My parents were killed when I was a few months old. I don't remember them."

He grabbed his box, scrambling to catch up with me. "Aw, man. I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know..."

I forced a tight smile, and said, "It's okay."

It wasn't.

-X-

Night fell earlier than expected, and the students rushed to their dorms, sending nervous glances over their shoulders. Nothing had happened today, but instead of being relieved, they were even more frightened. That in and of itself was worrying. It had taken us house to come through the entire building for readings, and Monk would keep opening his mouth as though to say something, only to shut it and avert his gaze.

We walked back to Base, and he had his hand on the door, when he suddenly asked, "Can I ask what had happened to them? Your parents."

I shot him a look of surprise; why would he want to know something like that? I looked at the floor, suddenly finding the designs in the carpet very intriguing. I bit my lip, not sure whether to tell him or not. "Well...according to the police reports, they had decided to go for a walk after a dinner party before heading home. I was in a stroller. It was a mugging gone wrong. Neighbors found me screaming my lungs out, covered in blood."

Monk looked away, "Damn. I am so sorry, John."

"Don't be," I brushed past him. "You didn't pull the trigger."

His eyes widened and he bit his lip as I grabbed the handle, "John?"

"Yeah?"

"Where'd you grow up? I mean, Australia, yeah, but..."

"The system." My voice was shockingly calm, neutral.

"System?" He asked, frowning in confusion.

I chuckled, but it sounded more like a pained growl, and shrugged, leaning against the door. "The foster care system. Got bounced from house to house, from town to town. I went to almost twenty different schools in one year."

He swore loudly, and ran a hand down his face. "How is that even legal? Putting a kid through that-" He cut himself off, looking at me as if I were some sort of...I'm not sure what, but there wasn't a hint of pity in his eyes. "It must'a been hell."

I looked away, my eyes finding the stairs I had been dragged up. "Yeah."

-X-

"Masako and John, you'll be going floor by floor to see if you can feel any spirits. Monk and Ayako will go through and see if they can try to exercise whatever spirits there are. Lin and I will be speaking to the staff on the first floor. Mai, you'll stay at Base - and no falling asleep this time, got it?"

Mai fumed silently, glaring at him but he was unfazed. Lin got up, laptop in hand, and they left without another word. Monk and the rest of us had changed into our uniforms and were ready to head out. I looked over at Masako, who had a sleeve up to her mouth. If I was able to feel that thing in the air around me, I had no doubt she'd be able to sniff it out without any difficulty.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	6. March Day 1 Closes

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

I followed a step behind her as she walked through the long, deserted corridors. Classroom doors were propped open and it was dark, save for the dim glow of the occasional light. Tamari had said she could only leave a few lights on per floor, and there was a few moments of utter darkness between them and around the bends of corners. I kept quiet, my bible and holy water at the ready should she need it. My wrist was bothering me, but not enough to voice the complaint.

Come morning, it'd be ten times worse.

She stopped suddenly, sleeve once again pressed to her mouth. I went and stood beside her, looking around in vain; I couldn't see whatever it was she was staring at. I stayed close and whispered ,"What do you see?"

"A girl." She said hoarsely, eyes filling with tears. "She's-She's screaming. I can hear her...screaming, begging for him to stop, that she won't say a word to anyone ever if he'd just let her go. She's-She's so scared. He might kill her. She's crying, begging..._Please. Please stop! Please stop! Don't-Don't touch me! Stop it! Please!"_

I just barely caught her as she swayed dangerously. She was shaking violently, clutching onto the purple scarf that I had on. My stomach had dropped when she started speaking in her not-her voice. The one she used when spirits were being too much, when they were trying to make everyone listen. Nausea rolled in my gut as I thought about her words, about what they could mean. I didn't dare ask now, though.

Eventually, her crying slowed. But she was still quivering. "She's angry. Angry at what he did to her. Angry that no one believed her. Angry because she's now dead."

I swallowed thickly, heart beginning to hammer. "What-What did he do? If she's still here, maybe you can tell her we're here to help and-"

_HELP?! NO ONE CAN HELP! I'M DEAD AND HE'S NOT! I'M STILL HERE AND THERE IS NO HELP! NONE FOR ME! NONE FOR YOU!_

The screeching took my total surprise. We stared into the darkness, the temperature dropping rapidly. I strained to see, strained make out anything in the gloom, when there was a vicious growl from behind. We whipped around, seeing nothing in the darkness. And then, whatever it was, launched at me. I was thrown to the ground, feeling the weight of something pinning me down; it felt like paws.

_Dogs. Dogs. Dogs. Men and bitches. Dogs. One in the same. They didn't believe me. They laughed and spat and **hated** me for what he did! Dogs. You'll be eaten by dogs. You are a dog. Its a dog eat dog world._

Suddenly, it took form. It was large, wolf-like form made of shadows. Its claws extended, ripping into my shoulders as Masako screaming, stumbling away from it. Its eyes glowed red, its teeth silver in the gloom. It dragged its lips back and it howled. The noise tore right through me being, shaking me to my very core. Its eyes spoke of my death, of the blood it'd drink and the flesh it'd eat after I left this world.

Petrified, I recited the first prayer that came to mind, in English. The reaction was almost immediate. It twisted and withered, snarling in pain and fear and hate. He jumped off me, darting off into the darkness. I rolled onto my stomach, cheat heaving and feeling like I might be sick. I stumbled to my feet, grabbed Masako by the hand and half dragged her down to Base.

-X-

We burst through the library doors to find Monk and Ayako and Mai sipping tea.

Masako pressed herself against the wall, hands balled in front of her face and wheezing. I dropped to my knees, relief of being safe making me almost dizzy. I could feel warm blood trickling from the gashes on my shoulders - but they weren't deep enough to need stitches.

Monk launched himself from his seat as the girls rushed over, "What happened? John?"

"Masako! Your so pale. What happened?" Mai asked, eyes wide as Ayako led her to a chair. Masako shook her head miserably, once more dissolving into near-silent tears.

"John?" Monk bent down and I heard his gasp as he saw my shoulders. "Mai! The first aid kit!"

She grabbed it and dropped down next to us, "John, what happened?"

"Dog." I gasped as she dabbed the wound with a cotton ball soaked in peroxide. "Big, big dog. It...I think it might have been a hell hound."

"A what?" Ayako asked, eyes wide and eyebrows high, from where she was crouched in front of Masako.

"A hell hound," I repeated, as I pulled the shirt off over my head. "Its a dog-like creature that comes from Hell. Its used to end a demon's deal or as an ender of life. Either way, its only mission is to kill."

"A demon's deal?"

"A ten year contract that a person - living or otherwise - can make with a demon, and it lasts for ten years. Once that time is up, the person's soul gets dragged to Hell for all eternity." Monk put bandages on the cuts and I wished my outfit hadn't been damaged. Well, I guess it was time for a new one. "Did we catch it on camera?"

Mai went over to the computer and rewound the footage, "Okay, there's you and Masako walking - no. You were just past the camera's visual."

We could hear Masako talking, and me asking my question - I never got over how jarring it was to hear my voice on a recording - and then the screaming.

-X-

Naru was disappointed that we hadn't caught it on tape, and Lin asked Masako if she wanted to leave.

Lin called a cab the moment she had said yes; I was glad she was leaving - not because I didn't like her, but because I hated to see her cry. In fact, I thought she was absolutely amazing...I shook my head and tried to re-focus; I couldn't let my imagination wonder at a time like this. No matter how pretty her eyes...or how musical her laugh...

I carried her bag for her, to the cab. I put it in the trunk, and drew he into a quick, firm hug. I didn't like the idea of sending her away on her own, but each of us were needed now more than ever. She nodded thanks, and turned to get in -

only to scream in horror and faint dead away.

I was barely able to save her from clipping her head off the car door. I twisted around, to try and find what had frightened her -

and found myself staring at Tamari's lifeless eyes, as she hung from one of the balconies, twisting in the faint breeze.

"Dear God."

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	7. March Day 2 Part 1

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

Cops swarmed the scene til dawn and the students were sent home, along with Masako. Red and blue lights broke the quiet night, and nothing else happened - but, before she left, Masako said the spirit was feeling quite satisfied. She wasn't done by far, but felt accomplished. I had told Masako not to worry, that I'd call if something happened and as soon as we were done with the case. She begged me to go with her, to not stay here - she said the spirit hated men especially.

But I couldn't leave now, not when there was a vengeful spirit on the loose.

Afterwards, I couldn't drag my eyes away from Tamari's body as she was examined by the coroner. There was a nasty gash across her forehead, dried blood on her face. The rope had dug into her skin and had left it horribly bruised. According to the medical examiner, it looked like she had struggled after being hung. Her lifeless eyes - once so full of life and fear and laughter - were now burned into my memory, always there when I closed my eyes, accusing and hateful. Before they put her in the body bag and wheeled her away, they allowed me to say a few words for her soul.

As they all slowly departed, we were told to leave - but it was a request, not an order, and Naru had no plans on leaving.

I wasn't even aware I was cold, that I was shivering, until Ayako dropped a blanket across my shoulders. I looked up at her in surprise; she shrugged and said, "Its cold out here, and its been one hell of a night."

I nodded, pulling the blanket around me tighter. A migraine had set in after the first hour of the cops being there, their flashing lights and the frightened students' voices having not helped any at all. But I knew what would; I went to the jeep with Monk and Ayako watching me. Mai, Naru and Lin had gone inside to show the police what little evidence we had collected.

I reached in and grabbed the unopened pack of cigs. I ripped off the plastic, not giving myself time to talk myself out of it, and put on between my lips. I cupped the flame in my hands to keep it from blowing out, and took a long drag, pocketing the lighter and pack. I slammed the door shut and ignored the shocked looks on their faces.

I quit once; I could do it again.

Later.

-X-

I was jarred awake by someone stepping on my hand. Not even half awake, my hand tightened its grip on my holy water and I splashed at it, blind from sleep and darkness. I started a prayer that was quickly drowned out by Monk's voice: "John, it's okay, man. It's just me."

Mumbling something incoherent, even to my own ears, I used the backs of my hands to rub the sleep from my eyes, "Wha' happened?"

"Nothing," Monk said soothingly, voice low. "I just needed to take a leak. Didn't mean to wake you."

Slowly, everything clicked into place. At almost six in the morning, we finally called it a night and had agreed to be up by 2:30 that afternoon. Monk and I were sharing a room, Lin and Naru a room, and Mai and Ayako a third room. "Ya sure that's a good idea? Goin' alone? I could-" A yawn cut me off for a moment, "come with and wait outside the door."

"Its just across the hall. Go back to sleep John. You need it more than any of us."

I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them. "Just go and be quick. I'll sleep when you're back."

He gave a nod and left the room seconds later. He left the door open a crack, and light seeped in from the hall, casting a shaft of strong light across my feet. Part of the reason I didn't want him alone was because of what Masako said, and another part was because I was afraid for any one of us to be alone in this place. I glanced around the room; it wasn't anything fancy. It was hardly big enough for two people, with windows that overlooked a garden. The curtains were shut tightly.

I was almost asleep when he came back, eyes dropping and breathing deeper by the minute. Monk gave a chuckle and I laid back down, asleep before my head hit the pillow.

-X-

A few hours later, I found myself in the male teacher's locker room before the others were even awake. I wasn't even fully rested and could have used a few more hours sleep, but my body wasn't having any of that. I showered and dressed as quickly as I could - I think I even broke my own record - and found myself at Base, reviewing the footage from when we were asleep.

Nothing.

No voices, no howling, no nothing.

Zip. Nada. Zilch.

It was probably because of all the outsider activity - the dozen or so cops, the hundreds of parents, the medical team.

Sighing heavily, I wondered what we'd scrounge up for breakfast - lunch? - and hoped there'd be coffee in the teacher's lounge, which was down the hall. I could really use coffee. Tea would be nice, but coffee would be marvelous. But I knew I had to go and stay with Monk until he woke up; Naru was going to have a fit that I had left him alone.

I felt a smirk tug at my lips; even if I erased the footage of my morning venture, he'd still catch me on my way back.

-X-

Two p.m. rolled around not long after that - I had submerged myself into that book - and I woke Monk up. He needed time to get ready, and I was getting antsy from reading for too long. I waited outside the room for him to get dressed only to see Ayako waltz from the female teacher's locker room to her shared room in nothing but a towel. As soon as our eyes met I twisted away as quickly as I could, my hands covering my eyes. I could feel my face flush darkly, "I-I am so sorry!"

I didn't even know what I was apologizing for. Was it that I was in the hall? That I may have embarrassed her? That I had seen her long legs? That the towel had left little to the imagination? Not that I had any plans of letting that run wild. That I may have sinned?

Dear Lord, help me. I'm not even sure if I've sinned here. And by total accident!

Monk popped his head out of our room and pulled my hands away from my face with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Is she gone?" I asked instead.

He pulled a face, then peered over my shoulder, "I don't see anyone."

"Oh, thank goodness." My shoulders sagged and I could help but feel the flood of relief.

"Who was it?"

I shook my head, in total denial of what just happened and who it was, "Don't worry about it. Can we just go get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Sure," he nodded. "How's you wrist and shoulders?"

"They're fine," I lied. My wrist was stiff and ached from the cold that had taken permanent residence in the place. My one shoulder had gotten infected, but I dealt with that earlier. We turned down the hall and made our way up through the back of the school. We by-passed base - I took note that Naru and Lin were already there, doing what I did just hours ago.

"So, why'd you leave earlier?" He asked as we turned into the teacher's lounge. It was spacious, looking like a kitchen that was attached to a living room. The kitchen was fully stocked - and there it was! the coffee! - and the living room had a big, flat screen TV, leather couch and air conditioner.

"Leave?" I asked, distracted with trying to find the making for chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and eggs - with coffee.

"This morning. Around ten."

I blinked, "Oh. I couldn't sleep and needed a shower."

"Wait. You've been awake since ten this morning, after going to sleep sometime past six?" Monk asked, putting his hand on my shoulder and forcing me to turn and look at him. Surprise took over his concern, "You don't look tired."

I shrugged and went back to making breakfast.

It was how I was brought up, I guess. I never knew which houses were safe to sleep in, which ones weren't. There were bad people in the world, sick people. And yes, they looked normal. They sounded normal. They_ seemed_ normal. But they weren't. They needed help - sometimes from doctors, sometimes from cops. Sometimes, maybe even, a higher power.

As I cooked, I remembered something a kid told me once, while we were staying in the same house: "_Hell ain't nothin' compared to this, the life of da abandoned an' neglected an' abused. At least, down dere you're warm, and ya don't starve and ya don't hafta be afraid of the unlucky bastard next ta ya_."

In many ways, he had been right.

The girls came in and Mai asked, "What is that delicious smell?"

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	8. March Day 2 Part 2

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

The few students who had stayed on campus were beginning to head home; their families had lived too far away to get there before this afternoon and they were still packing up to go. The teachers, though, had decided to stay - most of them, anyway. School wouldn't re-open until our investigation was complete, and pending our outcome. After eating, I went to my jeep, Monk trailing behind me on the phone, and grabbed the few books I had kept under the back seat. They all contained information on varying types of demons.

I began researching, sitting in a corner of the library with books spread out around me with my laptop, cross referencing materials and trying to figure out what kind of deal the spirit had made - and if there was a way to stop it. This curse - what else could I call it? - could last up to ten years, depending on the circumstances. Perhaps longer, if the demon's part of the deal wasn't fulfilled.

"John, I'm making some tea. Do you want some?" Mai called from across the room. I had gone into one of the book aisles so that I was closer to some of the books I'd need. That way, I wasn't up and running back and fourth. It was easier and quicker...and a bit darker.

What I needed was a cig.

"No thanks." I looked up and smiled, "Maybe later."

She slowly nodded, then scampered off.

Scampered. What a weird word.

-X-

I hadn't found much, if anything at all. A person's debt can be repaid by another person's soul; a demon has to extend the contract if the wants and wishes of their debtor is not satisfied in the time allotted. But I already knew that. Several books were stacked, high enough to be level with my head, beside me. I could hear Mai bouncing from conversation to conversation, and Lin's occasional demand, "Mai, I'm working. Bother someone else."

Only there really wasn't anyone else she could bother.

Naru and Ayako went to the police station to gather details on Tamari's death. He had said we could gain a lot of insight on the spirit - because there was absolutely no doubt that she had not killed herself - and that we could use every lead, every possible advantage.

Monk would glance down the aisle on occasion, while Mai would periodically ask if I needed anything. I turned my thoughts back to my work, after the sixth time he glance at me. It was like he was keeping tabs on me; I appreciated the gesture, I really did, but it was getting on my nerves. How was I suppose to concentrate when he was being such a...mother hen.

What I hadn't known was that hell hounds had a demonic master, and that they'd shred apart anyone else trying to control them. It left me to wonder how this human spirit was in command of one. Then, unbidden, a hazy voice from my childhood flashed in my mind's ear:

_"Just believe you can, Johnny. That's it. Picture it, feel it, live it. That's it! You got it!"_

Picture it...feel it...live it.

I felt my head cock slight. I was sitting Indian style, computer sitting on my lap. I brought my hand to cup my chin before I started a new search, suddenly inspired - but feeling as though my stomach had dropped, because if what I was thinking was true...

My searches led me through multiple sites, through passages of priests and religious figures in other regions, through video recordings and testimonies. The next few hours blurred past as I made notes on a yellow tablet next to me. Monk would come over and watch me for a bit, before quietly leaving me to my own devices again. I grabbed more and more books off the shelves, adding more notes and my own scribbled theories. In the end, it all interlinked; in the end, it all made sense.

In a twisted sort of way.

-X-

"PK can be used to bend spoons, to throwing things against the walls; we know this to be fact," I began. They were all sitting on the other side of the table - Naru and Ayako having returned moments before I finalized my discovery. "But there have been unconfirmed instances where PK can be used to lure demons and creatures from Hell with the help of black magic. Magic is a relative term - it only has power because we believe it does."

"You mean like our chants and your prayers," Mai exclaimed, an index finger tapping her cheek in thought

As much as I wanted to deny that our religions had power only because of a collected belief, "Yes. The PK a person had in life is transferred into their sprit's strength; that's why some spirits are stronger then others. It also can prevent the spread of diseases, such as cancer, in one's life."

I could see the gears churning in Naru's head, him quickly making the dots form a picture. "So what you're saying is that this spirit made a demon's pact, and in exchange for her PK from her spiritual abilities, she'd have control over one hell hound?"

Again, I nodded. "Not only that, but if she were smart, she wouldn't have handed over the full extent of her PK until after the bargain was complete. It's the only way to explain Tamari's death."

"So we have a demonic creature, a PK wielding spirit and a demon lurking about this place." Naru stood up, hand in his back pocket and other hand cupped on his chin. "Interesting. Unusual, but interesting." He spared Mai a glance, "Perhaps you should go home."

"No way!" She jumped to her feet, head shaking rapidly. "I'm not leaving now! I'm not abandoning you guys - family sticks together, no matter what!"

Naru smirked at her reaction, only to quickly turn serious again. "Good work, John. This information should be very useful."

There was nothing good about it.

-X-

Lin's research into the school's past had come up squeaky clean. It was startling because of what Masako had said, about the girl spirit. I was only able to draw one conclusion from what she had babbled about, and I knew by the ways the others had glanced at one another uneasily that they were thinking the same thing. It made me sick to my stomach, thinking about how cruel others could, about how sick they acted.

But a fact of life, one I had learned young, was that you couldn't save everyone, and that you couldn't protect everyone.

Bad things happened to good people. Bad people had a way of disappearing, only to resurface years later. But to have your abuser, your _attacker_, live in the same _community_ - let alone to live in the same _house_, at points in your life - was horrible and terrifying and _sickening_. And to have everyone you know - even your _friends_ - defend them, instead of you? The only thing lower than _that_ is being_ blamed_ for it; a thing she and I had in common.

But that still didn't tell us who she was.

-X-

When twilight settled in around us, we decided to try and draw out the spirit and hell hound. By this point, the case was at a stand still. We needed something to analyze, something to go on. We needed more clues before we could find the right answers. I looked out the library window before we began; dark clouds were rolling in.

That's what landed Monk, Ayako and myself in the Tamari's office.

We had set up a camera on the balcony where she had died, in hopes of finding something - _anything_ - but her office wasn't hooked up; we simply did not have enough cameras. The office was circular and spacious. Shelves lined one half of the room, and bay windows overlooked the reception area. Pictures hung from the wall behind her large oak desk and leather padded chair. Pictures of her with students, with who seemed to be family and with those I guessed to be her friends.

We found nothing, and nothing happened.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	9. March Day 2 Part 3

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

"Nothing so far," Monk sighed as he answered his walkie-talkie. We had taken to walking around the fourth floor, inspecting the class rooms after the failed attempt in the principal's office. Almost two hours have passed since we started, and there wasn't even so much as a drop in air temperature.

"Come back to Base, then." The disappointment and irritation in Naru's voice was easily heard, even over the static.

We shared a look before he shrugged and led us back to Base. I was beginning to think we'd be stuck in this waiting game until we were old and grey. As we walked down the fourth floor corridor, I looked out the windows lining it. Each step brought us closer to the staircase and each second the clouds came closer and darker until -

_**BOOM!**_

Thunder erupted above our heads and the lights flickered out. Howling wind shook the glass in their frames as snow came gushing down from the sky, and I could swear to God that it sounded like someone crying out in fear and pain. After the first moment of fright, Ayako began walking ahead of us. Monk shrugged again as we shared another look. We picked up our pace to catch up with her, but something caught my eye - outside, by the pond.

Red.

I stopped when I was above the pond, and put my hands over the glass, peering into the darkness and snow. It looked like someone was wearing a red jacket. The temperature around me was quickly dropping, and I wondered vaguely if we'd need the to start up the school's heating system. But, all the teachers were in their own rooms and Naru had said they wouldn't leave Base until we got back. Did something happen?

"_JOHN, LOOK OUT_!"

I twisted around, heart suddenly in my throat, and came face to face with that hound. It was much, much larger than it had been last time - _how was that even possible_?! I tried to step back, but was trapped against the window. I could feel my legs shaking, and my hand shot into my pocket - _I was so stupid; how could I have been so stupid?!_ - and it snarled, crouching lower.

Just as I freed the holy water from my jeans - I could hear Monk and Ayako chanting, could feel the energy in the very air - it launched itself at me!

I threw my arms up to shield my face, dropping the holy water. I felt the glass crack and shatter under the weight and momentum. It dissipated into nothingness, but it was too late. I twisted, falling through open air as snow stung my cheeks, to see the ground hurtling upwards to meet me. I could hear my heart beating, could feel the tears fill my eyes, but I wasn't afraid.

Then, I slammed into the ice cold water of the green pond.

It was so cold, it burned and ate right through my clothes. I felt like I had just been hit by a mac truck, but I forced my arms and legs to move and tried to go in the direction I thought was up. Weeds of some sort lined the bottom, darker than the green water. I tried to kick, to propel myself upwards - already my lungs ached - but they latched onto my legs. At first, I thought I was just tangled but no. Two more weeds shot upwards and tied themselves to my wrists and keeping me pinned.

Fighting back panic, I struggled and twisted, trying - and failing _miserably_ - to break free.

_I really need to work out more often_, The thought was slightly hysterical.

Suddenly, my vision was filled by long black hair that was a mess of tangles and twigs and a red jacket, torn and crusted with muck. Two brown eyes stared into mine, her lips twisted into a sick, wide grin. She cupped my face with he hands, setting fire to the burning cold, and looked deep into my eyes. I could feel something scratching in my mind, sending white hot agony behind my eyes. It felt like someone was inside my head, uprooting everything and throwing it all about...searching.

My lungs began to burn.

And then it stopped.

I blinked away the white that had blurred away my vision, and she looked different. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, the jacket a brighter color. No longer was she smiling; she looked on the verge of tears. But I couldn't...It was getting hard to focus. My vision was darkening, my heart galloping my chest.

And then I was float.

Her arms wrapped around me, warm - actual, solid warmth and flesh. She pulled us up through the water, the air leaving my lungs without my consent, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked to be a skull.

We broke the surface of the water and she hauled me up onto the wall. Her voice was soft, and so very musical. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, John. I-I didn't know that you...that you and I are so much alike. I'm sorry."

I forced my head to move, to look at her, but she was gone.

Somehow, it was warmer up here - I was soaked clean through and heaving giant breaths. Snow swirled in the air, sticking to my cheeks and clothing, but the howling wind had stopped. The air was calm, sad even. Nausea rolled in my gut and I coughed up what had to be pints of water. I didn't even have the strength to finish pulling myself out of the water - my legs floated in the water.

A moment later, I heard a bang. Glancing over, I saw two strong beams of light. Mai voice was high pitched, sobs wracking her words, "There's no way he's still alive! Not from a fall like that!"

The beams slowed and I gave a half hearted wave.

"JOHN!" Monk, Ayako, and Mai shouted. They all bolted towards me; Monk slipping on some ice. It was Lin who hauled me the rest of the way out of the water. Blackness danced across my vision, the snow shimmering.

-X-

"Even if I wanted to go to the hospital - which, I don't - we can't leave. That storm is all but a white out. We'd crash on that gravel, winding road that leads out of here." I had been forcibly changed by Lin, Monk and Naru. They dried me off, dressed me in the warmest clothes they could and wrapped me in several thick quilts. I was currently sitting on my futon, curled up in a shivering ball. It was the first time I had seen Lin worried for anyone other than Naru, and I could tell Naru was just as concerned.

That was just plain freaky.

"You have frost bite!" Ayako shouted from her place by the door, hands on her hips. "You probably have hypothermia!"

"Blue lips and frost bite are two different things," I shot back.

"Your fingertips are blue!" She threw her arms in the air.

"I'm fine," I repeated as firmly as I could; my teeth were trying their hardest to chatter.

She scowled, crossing her arms angrily. "I don't know how you survived that fall with nothing more than a few scratches and bruises, but getting sick is a real possibility, Father John. Really sick. Do you want to wind up in the hospital?"

"Isn't that where you want to take me anyway?" I growled, having finally lost my patience. They looked at me in shock - even Lin, who never shows anything. Ever. Maybe I had been too nice in the past. Maybe I had been too soft and let others walk over me. But not now. Not when I was needed. I turned my attention to Naru, "She spoke to me. She was there - in the water."

His eyes narrowed in thought, and I tried to suppress the shivers that were shaking my shoulders. "What did she say, exactly?"

I looked up and away, going back in my memory. I blinked in surprise. I knew what I had heard -it had been plain as day when she had said it - but it didn't make it any easier to believe. Nor how it was she had gotten my name, had known about our similar past without asking me. "She knew my name. She said she was sorry. That...we were the same."

"How'd she know your name?" Monk asked, eyes widening.

"What did she look like?" Mai asked, almost at the same time.

"I think it would be best for him to go through the entire ordeal, rather than us just ask random questions." Naru interrupted, sounding as Naru-like as ever.

I bit the inside of my cheek; this wasn't going to be pleasant.

-X-

"And do you know why she said that?" Naru asked, a notebook under his palm, a pen in his fingers.

"Said what?" I asked warily. It was almost midnight and exhaustion had sank deep into my bones. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep for the next three years, and then some. By this point, I was beyond caring about anything.

"That she was sorry," Lin specified.

"She had her hound shove me through a closed window and into a pond," I deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "That seems self explanatory."

"And what about her saying that you were the same?" Monk asked lowly, eyes tracing over my face.

I scrubbed my hands over my own eyes, which were itching with tiredness. Couldn't this wait til later? I sighed heavily, "I don't know."

"I don't appreciate being lied to." Naru said sharply.

I gave him a withering glare. "And what reason would I have to lie?"

His eyes narrowed and I met them straight on, not flinching, not wavering, not fearing. Naru looked away first, having not found what he had intended to. He made an agitated noise that could have meant anything, gathered his stuff and got up. "Bed rest for the rest of today and tomorrow. If you develop anything worse than a slight fever, or if Monk thinks your coughs get too bad, you will be going to the hospital."

He swept out of the room, Lin on his tail, and leaving all of us in different mind sets.

The thing of it was, you could have me take a lie detector's test and I would pass. You could take me to a shrink and they'd tell you I was in great health. You could take me to a doctor's office and they wouldn't question the scars because they wouldn't be able to see them. I was taught what to say, how to say it and knew why I had to.

But it was hard to remember all the lies after a while.

Each scar had a story. Each nameless encounter, a sick feeling. Each story had a meaning. Each meaning was woven in lies. Lies to protect them, lies to protect me, lies to stop the pain and guilt.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	10. March Day 2 Closed

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**Set before the team learns about Naru's PK.**

* * *

_I could hear them screaming downstairs, getting louder and louder. I sat behind the door, its crack letting in the dull shine of the stairs' lamp-like light. My knees were drawn up to my chest, my little arms and hands shaking as I tried not to cry, to not make a sound. __I remembered what happened last time I cried, the last time I showed them I was scared of their anger. I bit my lip when I heard his heavy boots stomping up the stairs._

_I wanted to go back to Martha's house - only, she died in a car accident. _

_No. Not again._

_Please._

_I looked up at the ceiling, silent tears sliding down my cheeks. He stopped outside the door, and my heart hammered against my chest harder and harder, - I thought it might explode - fear constricting my throat and drying out my mouth. I bit my lip hard enough to bleed; I wanted to bawl my eyes out, to sob and be comforted. I buried my head into my knees._

_Please._

_Not again._

_No one answered my prayer._

...

_A few years after that, I knew that it was better to just pretend I wasn't there when it happened. I learned to focus on the pain and not the act itself. I learned how to smile when everything was just so fucked up. I learned the lies and breathed them like they were air, drank them like they were water. I learned the importance of alcohol and to take it without complaint when they passed it to me._

_But some nights, I couldn't separate my mind from my body._

_Some nights, I just didn't have enough weed or booze or I was just a glutton for punishment._

_After all, it was always my fault._

_-X-_

I jerked awake, twisting around in my blankets.

Monk was snoring loudly from his futon, ear buds in his ears. I kicked off most of the blankets, the chilly air making me shiver - but if felt good. My chest was heaving, my breathing ragged to my own ears.

I put my head in my hands, body quivering; I can't remember the last time I dreamt of those days.

Darkness quickly claimed me once more.

-X-

_By the time I was thirteen, I had broken thirty different bones in my body and had several joints dislocated._

_Not to mention needing to be stitched up._

_I began cutting._

_Not that it mattered, the pain. I had more than enough of it._

...

_When I was caught at a party, I was beaten senseless and left to rot in the basement for three days._

_I was taken to the hospital by a friend, who dumped me in the arms of the first nurse she could. They were arrested, but I was sent to live with their relatives. This time, they left me in the shed, duck taped and gagged._

_When their son was busted for weed a month or so later, they tore apart the entire house._

_I could hear the cops, could hear the shouts. I tried to call out - I really did - but I wasn't found. The shed was set just inside the wooded area behind the house. They didn't even know it was there; it was a new addition._

_I was blamed for Jake being caught._

_I woke up in the back of a ambulance, fifty some miles away from their town. There was so much blood, and I couldn't stop screaming. I needed emergency surgery. Later, they had the gull to tell me that I was lucky to be alive and I cried._

_Lucky._

_They didn't understand that word._

_I'd be lucky to have died on that table - or, better yet, to have never been found by that hitch hiker._

...

_When they released me, I told them I didn't remember what happened. They believed me, because someone had taken a baseball bat to my head; they found it in the ditch beside me. I told them my name, and I tried not flinch. I didn't want them to send me back._

_Instead, I found myself in a church-run orphanage for the next two years. _

_At the age of sixteen, I became a priest._

_I wanted to help._

_I wanted to forget._

_I needed to believe._

-X-

I rolled over, blearily opening my eyes to see an empty room. I sat up with a groan; I saw the door open and the men's locker room door beyond it. My body felt stiff and dizziness swam behind my eyes. My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, my throat sore and mouth dry. I was painfully aware of my bladder.

I struggled to my feet, my legs trembling with effort.

I stumbled across the hall and did my business, quietly ignoring Monk singing in the shower.

While I was washing my hands, he came out of a shower stall, a grey towel wrapped around his hips. He was busy drying my hair and hadn't yet seen me. Maybe I could slip past him and get back in bed. Ice poured down my back when he turned and caught sight of me, "Mornin' sleepy head."

The smile that was on my face was by knee jerking instinct alone, and it felt tight, forced. "G'day."

He eyed me suspiciously, "You feelin' okay, man?"

"Fine," I said a little too quickly. I tried slipping out the door, "I'll let you get dressed - "

But he wasn't having any of that. He caught my arm, his other hand pressed against my cheek. I had frozen when he grabbed me, eyes wide, and he eyed me with concern, "You have a fever. Go back to bed and I'll get you something for it."

I nodded quickly, pulled away from him and stumbled back to bed.

-X-

_"Johnny! Johnny, wait up!"_

_I ran into the white house, tears blurring my vision. My arm hurt, it hurt really bad. I shot towards the kitchen, slipping on the freshly cleaned floors. Red was streaking down my arm as I fell into Martha's lap, sobbing._

_"Oh! Johnny, what happened?" She pulled me back, gently holding my arm._

_"I-I f-fell!"_

_She nodded as Rori came slipping into the kitchen. "Is he okay? We were climbing the tree and h-he fell off the lowest branch and h-he wouldn't let me see - "_

_"Its okay, Rori." She sat me on the counter and grabbed a white box. "Its just a scratch."_

_"Just a scratch?!" Rori wailed, throwing his arms into the air. "He took off and was howling like he had broken something!"_

_"He's four," I could hear the gentle amusement in her voice, and she kissed my forehead. She cleaned my cut - it stung, stung, _stung_ - and put a spider man bandage on it. "There, all better."_

_Martha wasn't my mommy, but she loved me like a mommy should. I wanted her to be my mommy. I wanted to ask her to be my mommy._

_Rori walked up to me, his red hair hanging in his eyes. His green eyes were round with worry. "You okay, Johnny?"_

_I nodded miserably. Rori picked me up; he was a big boy! He knew lots'a stuff, and even though I was small and his friends made fun of him for playing with me, he loved me. Like a brother, that's what he said. Even though he's gonna be going to school soon and I have to stay home._

_He grinned suddenly, "Hey, remember I told you I was gonna teach you how to ride a bike?"_

_Rori always made me feel lots better. My boo-boo didn't hurt no more._

_Later, he let me try without holding onto my shoulders._

_"Just believe you can, Johnny. That's it. Picture it, feel it, live it. That's it! You got it!"  
..._

_"Jonathan, come down here."_

_"Its John." I said nastily as I rounded the bottom of the stairs. I pulled up short, seeing two cops standing in front of the Miller family. Mr. Miller, his wife and his step-son were gathered, the mother holding a slip of paper, "What happened?"_

_The one cop looked up, "You're John Brown?"_

_"Yes," I nodded slowly, a sinking feeling dragging at my being._

_"There's...no easy way to say this." He continued, passing me a picture, a letter and the paper Mrs. Miller had been holding._

_Mr. Miller hadn't even told me to watch my tone, and there were tears of sympathy in her eyes. Their son, two years my elder, couldn't look me in the eye._

_I looked down. It was a picture of Rori - I'd recognize that necklace and hair anywhere - and my eyes shot up. Was he coming to live with us too? I only saw him every few years, was only allowed to call him a few times a year. We wrote back and fourth when we could. We were planning on moving in together - we were even thinking of running away together and meeting up and living by our own rules. I was only ten, but he was sixteen - or, he was gonna be, in a few weeks._

_But then, I saw the paper._

_It was a police report - a report about a dead body._

_A dead body with red hair._

_I swallowed thickly, tears filling my eyes. My voice was hoarse, "No. No. It - No!"_

_I tore open the letter, and out fell his necklace._

_It hit the floor with a metal clang. It was a surfer's necklace. It was suppose to protect him from sharks and massive waves and - and -_

_And a week later, I was high for the first time._

_-X-_

"You should have seen him, Mai." Monk's voice was low, worry clear in his voice. "I only grabbed him cuz' he was lookin' really white, ya know? And he looked like I was about to hit him, or something."

"Maybe...he's just, ya know, not used to being touched." Mai said just as quietly. My back was to them, but I could feel their eyes on my form. "I mean, how often have we actually touched him before?"

"No." Monk's voice was firm. "That was real terror in his eyes. I've seen him take out ghosts with less fear."

I wanted to crawl into a dark hole somewhere and never come out.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	11. March Day 3 Part 1

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**A/N**: Sorry for not updating as quickly as ususal. I'm now helping plan a wedding - can you believe it?! - and I won't be able to updat 2 or 3 chapters a day anymore - but I will update once every two days at least.

* * *

I sat on my futon, knee tapping the ground in irritation and bordom as I sat Indian style. Monk and Ayako had enforced the room with wardings, had left me with protective wardings on paper and set up a camera in the room to keep an eye on me while they worked. We also had a walkie talkies set up, so I could ask for something. I had my holy water and bible - Mai had grabbed them after the attack - and the book I had been

But my head hurt from reading for too long and I had rummaged through my bag to find something to do.

Which was why I was now playing solitare. And losing. Growling, I swiped the deck, effectivly scattering the cards. Huffing, I wished that the medicine Monk had given me would work and get rid of this fever. The one thing I hated even worse than the cold was being sick - for exactly this reason. Because I wasn't allowed to do anything - let alone actually help with this case - I was stuck trying to entertain myself.

I put my hand on my fist, my elbow on my knee, and stared into the camera.

Eventually, I gathered the cards and started again.

-X-

I looked at the clock for the third time in the past ten minutes. Noon. Lunch time. Mai said she and Monk would visit as soon as they could, which would be in the next few minutes. Right? I mean, noon was always when Naru let everyone go for lunch. That is, if we were all awake and had a morning's worth of work under our belt.

Unless something had happened.

I looked at the hand held device they had left with me. The camera they had set up didn't have audio. I reached for it and weighed my options. If it was important, I shouldn't interrupt. But, what if...what if someone was hurt? What if they needed my help? I clicked the button, waited for the static...

Only, there wasn't any.

I shook it, held it up to my ear. Nothing. Frowning, I tried talking into it, but knew it hadn't transmitted the sound of my voice - let alone the actual words. I waved at the camera and waited a full five minutes before getting up.

I began to pace.

I needed to know what was happening, but we had no form of communication. Lin had confiscated my cell after he caught Mai relaying what they were doing every five minutes. Monk and Ayako had been fuming, yelling at me for not resting. Naru knew it wasn't safe to leave me alone, alone so he gave me a spare walkie talkie in case of emergencies.

And it wasn't working.

I grabbed my holy water and the wards they had left me with.

If they weren't answering, I was going to them. I had tried twice to communicate, and they hadn't come yet. I looked at the door, dread curling in my gut. She had dragged me up the stairs, had me thrown out a fourth story window, had tried to drown me...what else could she do?

But, deep down, I knew she wouldn't hurt me - not anymore.

With a steadying breath, I hobbled to the door. My legs were aching from the fall, as was everything else. Large bruises covered my neck and shoulders, which had taken most of the water's impact, and cuts lined were the weeds had latched onto me. My face, arm, waist, -from where she had touched me - fingers and toes no longer had a bluish tint to them, but a fever had taken residence. Already, I was shaking from exertion.

Just another reason to hate, hate, _hate_ being sick.

I touched the door knob, only to pull back with a gasp. It was so cold, it burned. The blue on my fingertips resurfaced and they ached as they had a few hours ago, and I could feel my heart rate pick up. I knew what it meant. She was out there. Waiting.

I looked down at my hand, where the paper was wrapped around my metal container. I let them fall to the floor - Naru was gonna kill me; I was being so incredibly stupid - and pulled my black long sleeve down to cover my hand. I pushed the door open.

And there she stood.

She smiled at me, eyes glittering with tears, "Good afternoon, John."

In spite of myself, I smiled. "Good morning, Miss...?"

"Kayla." She hugged herself. Her hair was tied back into the braid, her jacket a bright shade of red - something Christmas-like. Cherry and joyful. Nausea rolled in my gut at the thought of what she endured. She looked away, "I was born in America, and my dad moved to Japan when mom died. He grew up here, and taught me the culture and language growing up."

"I'm so sorry," I murmured, looking away.

"Its okay." She choked. "You weren't the one who..."

I nodded, understanding. I felt the need to rip the wardings down. I wanted to let her in, to talk to her. But I couldn't risk Monk's safety for my piece of mind. I stpped out into the hall, looking both ways, "Where's your hell hound?"

Looking startled, she asked, "How-How'd you know?"

"I'm a priest," I said sadly. "It's what I do."

She looked down, "He's out protecting my grave. Your friends are outside and they're too close for my liking."

"Alright." I took a deep breath. "Kayla, I need you to renounce your deal. Neither side is complete, and if you'll let me, I can I take care of your debt."

"No." She hissed, eyes hard. She was staring intently, dark eyes like burning coals. "He has to pay. He's still alive, still here. Once I get to him, I can rest."

"Tell me his name," I pleaded, taking a step closer. "Tell me what happened. Tell me where you're buried. Tell me everything you can and I will see your justice done, Kayla. Please, let me help you."

The tears fell free, "I told them. I told them and told them and told them. But they wouldn't _listen_, wouldn't let me go to the cops, wouldn't let me leave, wouldn't let me call my dad. They wanted to keep it contained; it might ruin their _image_. They said_ I_ was the one lying. They _protected_ him. Why? John, _why_ is it they protect them but never _us_? Never the victims."

_It's just how the world works. It doesn't matter what country you're in._ My words to Monk came back to me, haunting me with its truth. I sighed; this was one of the few times that my faith wavered, that what I was taught - what I believed in - couldn't answer, couldn't explain and didn't help. My answer was miserable, "I don't know."

She hiccupped, burying her face in her hands. "I hated this! I hate it! My mom's in heaven, and I'm going to hell! My dad's all alone! They told him I ran away! He's all alone and I can't-I can't tell him..."

I took another step forward, "Kayla, look at me." She peeked through her fingers and I gave her as comforting smile, "Tell me where your buried. He'll know. Tell me what you want him to know and I'll tell him. I'll help every way I can, but you need to help yourself as well. Renounce the deal. Let me pay the debt."

She shook her head mournfully, once more crying, "Its too late to renounce it, John. Its too late. Nara is dead. It was part of the deal. She protected her son when he was a liar. And I'm not buried. My grave is water and going to be ripped down and built over and no one's gonna know." Her voice hardened, her jacket and hair shifting. Her voice grew, wind tearing down the corridor, "I'LL KILL THEM ALL!"

"John!" Lin, Monk and Mai rounded the corner that moment. The moment they saw her and she them, she locked eyes with me. She screamed in hatred, yelling in English. I staggered and hit the door frame before she vanished. My legs gave out as I realized she wouldn't let me help her. That she wanted to go to hell, to be there to help torture him throughout the decades to come.

Mai and Monk were there, seconds later. Mai put her hands on my shoulders, brown eyes wide with fear and worry, "John are you okay?!"

I could hear Lin on the phone, could see Monk's worried face out of the corner of my eye. For a moment, everything seemed distant - like there was a heavy fog - but then Monk grabbed my arm, shaking me roughly, "John, answer us, man!"

"I-I'm fine." My voice was sounded shaken to my own ears.

And then, everything clicked into place.

"Damn it! Your fever is - "

But the rest of what he was going to say was swallowed by a yelp as I got up and shoved past them, bolting down the corridor.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	12. March Day 3 Part 2

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**A/N**: Sorry for not updating as quickly as ususal. I'm now helping plan a wedding - can you believe it?! - and I won't be able to update 2 or 3 chapters a day anymore - but I will update once every two days at least.

* * *

_...Kayla..._

I stumbled at the foyer, but was able to catch myself before I went tumbling down the steps. I stumbled down them, senses reeling and my vision was blurring together. I burst out the front door, chest heaving and sweat pouring down my back. I jumped the railing on the porch, landing heavily on the snow covered gravel. I had seen Naru and Ayako standing in the driveway out of the corner of my eye.

_...born in America, and...moved to Japan..._

I forced myself to my feet, ignoring my friends' shouts for me to stop. I didn't even noticed Naru and Ayako now running after me until Naru pulled up right beside me, demanding to know what was wrong. But, I couldn't...it wasn't...I shook my head furiously. Even if I stopped now, I wouldn't be able to explain.

Last night came rushing back, right as she was pulling me above the water. The speck of white in a sea of green and darkness.

_...My grave is water and going to be ripped down and built over and no one's gonna know..._

I crashed into the wall, hardly able to draw breath. I hauled myself up and peered in, trying to make out anything beneath the murky surface. I leaned in closer, squinting. But hands were on me, dragging me away, "John! What are you doing?!"

._..protecting my grave. Your friends are ...too close for my liking..._

Monk's grip tightened painfully as I lashed out, "Let me go!"

"No! First we're making sure you're not possessed somehow and then you're going to the hospital. Your fever is too high."

"But-"

"No!" Mai cried from somewhere behind us, "You-You have to listen to him, John."

"I'm-"

"It's okay, John. You'll be fine." Ayako assured, "That spirit was just compelling you to the water."

"God damn it, guys! Listen to me!" I snarled, kicking him in the shin. His grip slackened just enough for me to rip away from him. I twisted around, hardly able to scratch a breath of air past my dry throat. They looked at me with a mixture of horror and fear - horror for my cursing, fear for my well being. "I'm not possessed! I know where her body is! I know her name!"

Monk put his hands up in a peaceful gesture, stepping closer, "John, man. Ya gotta listen to me, okay? You need to come with me."

I stepped back, looking for someone to listen to me. But they all seemed to agree with Monk. "I'm not going! Her name is Kayla. Her body is right here, in the water. Lin, you yourself said this pond was suppose to be built over this summer, didn't you?"

"I did, but that doesn't mean - "

I turned to Naru. If there was one person who'd put this case before our safety, it was him. "Naru, you have a camera that goes underwater. Use it. You'll see I'm right."

He cupped his chin in thought. Mai looked at him in anger, "You can't be serious! He's sick and needs a doctor!"

"We'll do it."

-X-

I didn't let any of them touch me as Naru and Lin set up the camera. I didn't take the coat or blankets they offered me. I was practically numb by the time they lowered it into the water. I didn't let them drag me into the school, because if I did, she'd show up and hurt them.

As long as I was there with them, she wouldn't touch them.

We all watched the screen Naru and Lin had set up, watching as the green water was illuminated by a small waterproof flashlight. It swung to the right, but I shook my head, "To the left, Lin. Left."

"There!" Naru pointed to something small and white, startling the others. "Zoom in on that."

It was a skull.

Weeds had wrapped around it, holding it in place by its eye sockets and jaw. Pieces of dark hair clung to its top, floating in the water and tangled with twigs. Some skin still clung to the forehead and jaw. It was then that I allowed myself to relax, the cold no longer bothering me. We had found her; that was what mattered. Monk dropped a blanket on my shoulders and I hugged it close.

Lin called the law enforcement again, but I knew this was far from over. I relayed to Lin everything I knew and the police began making a report.

My eyes traveled up to the fifth floor, where Ms. Nara's office was located. I now had a choice. Let Kayla have her revenge on the sick bastard or have him thrown in jail for her rape and murder. Revenge _sounded_ right. It _felt_ right. It _should_ have been right.

But he'd get his due one day soon.

Kayla deserved to see her mother.

I turned, pulling free of Mai's thin arms. She called out, "Where are you going?"

"To Tamari's office," I said over my shoulder. I didn't even pause in my steps, "Kayla said something that got me thinking. This time, I plan on tearing apart that office."

"But..." Ayako and the others began following, "But, she just died. We should leave her stuff be. Be respectful."

I tried to remind myself that they didn't know what I did, but, "My respect for that woman's gone. Kayla told me that Tamari shielded her attacker, that she was kept here and wasn't allowed to contact anyone from the outside."

I could still help Kayla. I could still take care of her debt. I could guide her soul to where it belonged. And I vowed on everything I had, on the very soul I had within me, that I wouldn't let her be dragged to a place she wasn't meant to go for things beyond her control.

-X-

"You really should let us handle this." Monk said, "You need to see a doctor."

"I'll see one later." I told him, again. He scowled at the tone I used, at my stubbornness, but was forced into silence when I opened the office door. I shrugged the blanket off, flicked on the light and set to work. "If you're gonna help, start on that side of the room. Look for old records or files or a journal maybe. There has to be a student's attendance record, a-a...I don't know. A...transfer record...or records."

I could feel myself shaking from an imagined cold, could feel the heat radiating off my body. A permanent darkness had taken residence along the edges of my vision, my heart beating heavily against my ribs. My throat felt like a dessert and my legs trembled and my knees threatened to buckle when yet another wave of dizziness swept over me.

I went for her desk, ripping open the drawers and shifting through her papers. With each drawer coming up with nothing, I could feel my frustration rising higher with each passing failure. Lin had taken her computer and was looking through it. Monk and Naru were trying to break into the filing cabinet. I found a key ring and tossed it at Naru, who went through each key until a drawer was opened.

Mai opened the rest of the cabinets, and they all pitched in on trying to find her file.

"Guys!" Ayako said excitedly, "I think I found it."

I dropped a pile of papers - they scattered everywhere - and rushed over. I plucked it from her hands, and sure enough, Kayla stared back at me. Her picture was attached to the file - a file that was entirely English with Japanese notes. It looked like someone was trying to translate. "This is it!"

"Well?" Monk asked, looking over my shoulder.

"Kayla Shino." I said, Naru already ready to take notes. I skimmed, telling them the important details. "Age sixteen. Mother deceased and father living in Tokyo. Black hair, brown eyes..."

-X-

Hours later, when her father came to the school, he looked ragged. Dark bags hung under his red rimmed eyes, his skin the color white. He was thin - sickly thin. I watched from the window as he was escorted to a black bag that sat on a gurney. On it, in see through plastic bags, were the personal effects found with the body. When he saw the jacket, he crumpled to the ground. His cries of agony and despair brought tears to my eyes and I couldn't bare to keep watching.

The cops gave their thanks for my finding her, but I waved them off.

As soon as I found what I was looking for, as soon as I found what I needed, I was charging her attacker with rape and murder.

Monk came into the room. His voice was low and his eyes were averted. "John. You need to see a doctor."

"I know." I turned back to the window, watching the red and blue lights, the people.

"I can take you now." His offer was tempting, and his voice was pleading.

"_No_."

"What? Why?" He was now aggravated, but trying his hardest to understand, to not upset me. He knew if he got me mad, he wouldn't be able to talk reason with me. It also seemed that he couldn't forgive himself - though for what, I can't imagine.

"Her soul is on the line, Monk. If she takes her attacker's life, I won't be able to help her."

He gave a long suffering sigh, "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this. Am I?"

"Nope."

"And then? When this is over, you'll go?"

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	13. March Day 3 Part 3

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**A/N**: Sorry for not updating as quickly as ususal. I'm now helping plan a wedding - can you believe it?! - and I won't be able to update 2 or 3 chapters a day anymore - but I will update once every two days at least.

* * *

Night fell as Ayako and Mai returned with fresh supplies - food, batteries, pens, medicine. We all sat at Base, taking a small rest as we ate. Lin had finally given me my phone back, and to my surprise, I had three messages from Masako. I gave the Chinese man a sidelong glance that he returned with a shrug. I looked back at the device; he hadn't answered my phone at all by the looks of it.

I held it up to my ear, listening as her messages got more and more concerned.

It gnawed at my stomach, knowing I had been partially responsible for this reaction. Without a word, I got up and went to the far end of the room - where the stacks of shelves cut off what little light we had left on, and waited for her to pick up.

On the second ring, she picked up. "Hello? John?"

"Yeah, its me." I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. "Look, I'm sorry for not answering right away. Lin took my phone-"

"Why would he do that?!" Her voice rose sharply.

"Well, I got sick and-"

"Oh! Are you okay? Do you need me to pick you up?"

A small part - okay, a _big_ part - of me suddenly wanted to say _yes, come pick me up_. But I shook my head, ridding the thought, "No, Masako. Thank you. I'm fine."

"Are you-Are you sure? I-I can pick you up, right now. I'll just call my agent and-"

"I'm sure, Masako," I couldn't help but smile as a warm feeling settled over my heart. I began pacing along the shelves, eyeing the titles and authors. I could hear the low hum of conversation between the others filter through the aisles of books. "I'm fine. Really. Besides, its getting dark and you know what that means."

"Right," I could feel her disappointment. It made me pause, made me feel guilty. Her voice turned no-nonsense, "But if you need me to, John, don't even hesitate to call me. Got it?"

"I got it," I tried not to chuckle; she sounded so serious it was cute. I turned and leaned against the shelves. It wasn't very comfortable, but my legs were trembling again and I didn't want to sit down - if I did, I wouldn't be getting back up any time soon.

After a quiet moment, she asked quietly, "How's it going over there?"

"Its going." I sighed, "You're not gonna like what you'll hear, if I tell you."

"Do it."

How could I say 'no' to that commanding voice?

-X-

Once I hung up, I felt lighter. It had been a lot easier to come forward and tell her everything than it had been for the others. I even found myself speculating as to why the spirit had thought we were similar. Though, for all the wrong reasons. We both were in a country we weren't born in - that kind of stuff. Not the actual reason. I don't think I'd ever be able to anyone - not even God himself - if I were asked, or needed to.

I found that the others had finished eating when I came back, my own food long forgotten and cold.

I took my seat as Naru finished off a phone call, Lin at his side. Monk asked, "Who were you speaking to? On the phone."

"Hmm? Oh. Masako - she called a few times and I just wanted to get back to her. Ya know, let her know we're still alive and uninjured."

He made a noise between being cross and sarcastic, "Yeah, we're all healthy and whole."

I felt color rise along my cheeks, "I just don't want her to worry, is all. There's no point in upsetting her and making her feel as if she should have stayed."

He seemed to consider it, before nodding his head. "Good point. We can't have her rushing back here. Its too dangerous." He turned his attention to Mai, "And I really think you should go home."

"What?!" Her eyes went wide and unbelieving. "No way! Family sticks together. I'm not leaving."

"But-"

"If anyone leaves, it should be you, John." She turned on me like a rabid squirrel. All pissed, but too small and cute to do much damage. "You're sick and hurt."

"I'm fine," I tried to keep the whine out of my voice. Why were they always bringing that up? So I got a little dizzy if I stood too quickly. So my wrists was still in a wrap. Naru had been possessed once, and they hadn't raised this big of a stink about it!

Naru cut off whatever she was about to say, "This spirit made a deal with a demon. We need to find this demon and exercise it as well."

"How do we find a demon?" Mai asked, blinking almost owlishly. Her attention had been snatched like a four-year-old's with a colorful toy. I shook my head in fond amusement, though she hadn't seen me.

"It depends on what kind." Naru decided, hands in his pockets. "Because this girl has a hell hound, my guess is that it has something to do with the faith the creature is attached to." He looked at me expectantly, "Well, Father John?"

It was my turn to blink. How was I suppose to know how to summon a demon? It's not like I made a practice of doing it. I hadn't ever dealt with a demon yet - mostly just spirits and sick people. I look at the ceiling in thought, trying to go back and remember anything about demons and their summons.

Just as I was about to give up, a thread of a memory flashed before my eyes:

_"Mike, what are you doin'?" I slurred, the edges of my vision swirling as the vodka hummed contently in my veins. It was well past midnight, and we had only known each other for a few weeks - but were already thick as thieves. We had been dumped into one of the easier houses - and it was a blessed change of pace._

_The lady we were staying with was a drunk and nothing more. She expected us to do our own shit, and keep up appearances - that was it. She only beat us if she found us sneaking from her liquor cabinet. It had only happened once, and I only got a mild concussion for it. Totally worth it._

_But right here, right now, Mike was in the middle of a four-way gravel road. Flowers swayed on the grass surrounding the area. Yellow flowers. They smelled nice, and the air was warm. So warm, I shed my coat._

_He had dug about three feet down and dropped in a tin can. He gave a twist of the lips - I think it was a grin. Maybe it was a sneer. Who knew? I took another swig from the bottle. I staggered a little closer, a giggle escaping my numb lips. When had it gotten so cold? Right. It was mid-winter. It was only like, thirty degrees out. The flowers were dead. "Well, Mikey?"_

_"I'm-I'm calling a demon. Johnny! Look it! A cat..."_

Four way intersection. Yellow flowers. Tin box.

I sat up straighter, "Lin? Do you have a picture of the fountain from the summer?"

"Right here," he stood and handed it over.

"What are you thinking, John?" Monk leaned over my shoulder.

The picture had a glossy shine to it. It showed the fountain, in the middle of a four-way gravel road. It was there at the end of the gravel road, from beside the gate when we first arrived. I had hardly spared it a glance - but I remembered the dead vines hanging off it. Sure enough, the picture showed yellow flowers all around. I pointed to the top of the fountain, where there was a little box filled with flowers with a small angel-like child sitting, water spraying from its chubby hands.

Leaning back, I said, "I think she had made the deal when she was alive, and when she died, she added onto the deal. To be sure, we're going to have to dig up that little flower bed and have a look."

"What are we looking for, exactly?" Naru asked, plucking the picture from my fingers.

"A tin box."

"What's in the box?" Ayako asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.

I frowned, trying harder to remember. Something about a cat, and a picture, I knew. I shook my head, "I can't rightly remember right off the top of my head. But I'm sure its connected."

"That's all I needed to know."

-X-

When we made it to bed, Monk was grumbling about curious teachers and not minding their own damn business. The few teachers that had stayed had become more confident because of the sudden decrease in activity and had started asking nosey questions. I thought they had a right to know, and I told them what I could - leaving out the rape and murder, the hell hound and how it tied to Tamari's death.

I couldn't let the rapist, if he were here, know we were on to him. It might spook him, and we'd never see him again.

After we were changed, Monk settled down with his headphones and his laptop. I took my medicine and crawled into bed, suddenly dizzy with exhaustion. I had done a great job ignoring my sickness all day - but now that I had nothing to do, nothing to focus on, it hit me like a freight train.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	14. March Day 3 Closes

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**A/N**: Sorry for not updating as quickly as usual! Life has gotten so hectic, (work, wedding planning, getting sick - can I blame John? - and a whole messy business with people) I barely have time to breath let alone write! I'm sorry! And I'm sorry this is a short chapter! Sorry!

* * *

_After we were changed, Monk settled down with his headphones and his laptop. I took my medicine and crawled into bed, suddenly dizzy with exhaustion. I had done a great job ignoring my sickness all day - but now that I had nothing to do, nothing to focus on, it hit me like a freight train._

Coughs ripped through my frame like someone was trying to tear out my lungs while I was still trying to use them - painfully and harshly. Monk had propped up several pillows, trying to ease my breathing. He yelled hoarsely for the others, having tried and failed to find his cell. His hands - so very cold hands - were on my face, feeling my temperature. He was cursing every god he could think of, before bundling me up and stumbling to his feet, me wrapped tightly in his arms.

The others were down at Base still.

With reeling senses, I jerked and fought as I was being lifted - I felt his grip slip. The room, my head, my stomach was spinning -_ round and round we go! Where will we stop? Hell if we know!_ Tears had collected in my eyes by the time I was able to draw ragged breaths. He threw open the men's locker room door and rushed to the shower stalls. He put me on the floor, saying something I couldn't hear over the drowning blood sloshing in my ears.

He snatched the quilt, throwing it behind him and went to pull my shirt over my head. Dread curled deep in my stomach, panic clawing along my nerves. I focused on those emotions, trying desperately to draw enough strength to get him to _stop. Stop. Stop. No. Stop. Monk! Stop it!_

I struggled against his hands, trying to rip myself away. But I was trapped between him and the cold wall, unable to even stand. I couldn't even hear my own voice over the sound of my heart picking up its pace - but it was also now in my throat. "Monk! S-Stop!"

"We need to cool you down, John." He sounded like he was trying to coax a scared animal out from under a car or something. There was a grim look in his eyes, a firm set to his jaw that I didn't like. "Your fever has spiked high. You probably don't understand what I'm saying - and I'm sorry for that, for having to do this - but bare with me."

And with that, the shirt was up and over my head - I think I heard the tearing of fabric.

I sat there dazed, the white room hazing over as the darkness at the edges of my vision crept closer and made me unable to see the majority of the area around me. The white hurt. The white was cold, but my limbs were far to heavy to even_ think_ about moving. The white was blinding. I needed to sleep. I heard the sound of metal creaking - it jarred me, my heart now once more in my throat. There was what sounded like water falling. My eyes rolled to him, only half open, as he peeled off his own shirt.

He lifted me again, and I found myself shrinking away from him - the fight gone out of me.

"Is okay, man."

It was the only warning I got before I was thrust under a spray of _cold_ water.

I can't say I remember much after that.

-X-

When I opened my eyes, I was in Mai and Ayako's room. It was lit, people were talking in low tones and I was laying with my back to them. Confusion invaded the sleepiness and I shot up as alarm seared through me. I was under a dark purple blanket, feeling an uncomfortable roll in my gut twisting with an all too familiar urge. I was on my feet and out the door, it slamming into the wall and me barely able to keep my uneven footing, before the others could react.

I only just made it to the toilet when the vomit began spewing.

My hands caught the rim, my shoulders convulsing and stomach twisting. I gulped air greedily in between the vomiting, hardly able to drag in air before I was puking again. My eyes squeezed shut, body lurching as I prayed that it would end soon. The foul smell rose to meet me, choking off the fresher air and making it all the harder. Stomach acid burned my already sore throat as I heaved again and again and again.

Hands were on my shoulders seconds later, making me jerk and trying to look and see - only to upset my sensitive stomach once more.

"Damn," I could hear Ayako grimace.

"How is he?" There was a voice...like it was far off, echoing slightly and muffled.

"Sick." She huffed angrily over her shoulder as I heaved once more. She carded her fingers through my hair - I could feel them shaking - and tried to be soothing, "It's okay. Just...let it all out. Okay?"

No problem there, mate.

After a few more rounds, I felt it safe to lean back onto my heels. My arms and legs were shaking horribly - the smell was putrid. I flushed the toilet as Ayako wet down a rage and wiped my face. The cold was welcome, and I sighed heavily. After deeming my stomach empty - truly empty - I stood unsteadily. She helped me to the closest sink. I washed out my mouth, before pooling cool water into my hands and splashing my face.

She handed me a towel, face etched in concern. "How are you feeling?"

I took stock - and to my amazement, "I feel... a lot better than I have in days."

She gave a slow nod, a smirk slowly forming. "Then I suggest we leave."

"Leave?" I cocked my head like a dog. But I saw a head over her shoulder - a head with long brown hair whose body was wrapped in a cream towel. I felt my eye twitch seconds before I slapped both hands over my eyes. I could feel a dark flush stealing across my cheeks. "Where...Ayako, where are we?"

"The women's locker room."

I wanted to die right then and there. "Dear Lord. I am so, so very sorry ladies! I-I...Dear God."

"Its no problem!" Came a friendly voice. "We all know you've been ill."

"That's no excuse," I whined.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	15. March Day 4 Part 1

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

**A/N**: If someone's fever rises really, dangerously high that person must be cooled down immediately. If not, the fever can cause brain damage, nervous system damage, and be life threatening - among other things. / Again, another short-ish chapter. Sorry!

* * *

"So what you're saying is, when my fever spiked and Monk had to get me cool down, the spirit attacked him?" I asked, a sinking feeling dragging at me as I sat down at Base. Late afternoon light filtered in through the window. Incredibly, my fever broke not long after I had puked my guts out. In the women's locker room. That part still had me stumped and beyond mortified. How in the Hell did I manage to get into there?! Moreover, why couldn't I remember what happened after heading back to our rom last night? "Why?"

I looked over at Monk, whose head was bandaged, but he just shrugged. Other than that, he didn't seem to be hurt - he hadn't been limping, or holding onto anything that looked painful.

"You tell us." Ayako said, crossing her arms over her chest. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side, curiosity peeking through that stoic appearance. "She was ranting and raving in English."

Mai hit play on the computer, and all the screens lit up - all replaying the same video feed.

I leaned forward, my hair still wet from the shower I had just taken, and watched. The camera was set up in the hall that housed our rooms and the locker areas. I couldn't see what was happening - we couldn't put the cameras inside the living areas, after all - but I heard ever word of it.

I could feel the blood draining from my face as my stomach knotted itself.

Monk hit pause, and looked at me pointedly. "Naru and Lin are out getting supplies and conducting a few interviews at the police station. If we have to, we can delete this; they haven't seen it yet."

"Tamper with evidence?!" Ayako cried, looking outraged and frightened. "Why in the hell would we do that?! What if...That's...Naru would have a massive bitch fit!"

He didn't even spare her a glance. "John, either you can tell them or I will."

"T-Tell them what?" I felt taken aback - what was he going on about now?

He sighed, but not impatiently. He ran a hand through his hair, looking up and away. His next few words chilled me worse than the pond water had. "When I had to cool you down, I took off your shirt and well..."

He had seen them.

The horror I felt must've shown on my face because Mai and Ayako shared an uneasy glance. Then, Mai tried to sound as soothing as possible, "Now, John...Don't panic, okay? I've been reading up on your religion - and Monk wasn't making a pass at you. Okay? He's straight and -"

I shook my head rapidly, my voice sounding strained, "You misunderstand, Mai. That's not...That doesn't have anything to do with what-what Monk's talking about. Honestly."

Confusion clouded her eyes for a moment, "Then, what's the big deal?"

I couldn't even begin to figure out what to tell them, let alone how to break it to them easily. Just the thought was enough to make bile rise in the back of my throat - how was I suppose to expect anything less from them? Physical abuse was one thing...But that was what it was, wasn't it? What Monk had seen.

Unable to look them in the eye, partly in fear of them seeing what I was hiding, I looked towards the ceiling. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I said, "Growing up, I was in the foster care system. And sometimes I was put into houses that had problems. Problems that they took out on me."

"What are you saying?" Ayako asked, equal parts suspicion and weariness - like she knew what I was going to say, and totally afraid that it was the truth. Mai looked on the verge of tears.

"I...I have scars." My eyes slipped shut without my consent, my head tipping down. I ran a hand through my damp hair, "And they're not easily ignored."

"I'm...I'm so sorry," Mai rushed over, throwing her arms around my neck and nearly choking the life out of me. She was trembling, "That's so awful, John! Why didn't you tell us? We could've helped...somehow."

I blinked, eyes wide and staring at her brown hair -it was the only part of her head that I could see. But then, I smiled - it was gentle and sad and completely fake, "There's nothing to be done about them or the past. Its best to leave it all buried."

She pulled back in shock, but her eyes began burning with that fierce determination of hers. I didn't like that look in her eyes - what foolish idea does she have in her head this time? But then she blinked, "Wait. Why would we delete the footage, again?"

"Because whatever she said hit a nerve." Ayako said grimly, now catching on to what Monk had been implying. She leaned back in her chair, clearly thinking hard. She sighed, shoulders slumping before she shrugged, "Well, as long as it doesn't have any direct evidence, I don't see why we can't just pretend the footage doesn't exist."

This time, the smile was grateful and true.

-X-

To cover the missing tape, we re-recorded another segment and marked it down as what it would have been.

I watched as Monk worked, realizing that he was very tech savvy. I wondered if he'd be able to figure out how to re-program my GPS to vocalize Japanese directions. Then, I wondered if my little mini-lesson had stuck - from when we had driven here. The thought was chilling. When I had been teaching him the words - they were random and had no meaning at the time.

But now.

Would he be able to piece together some of the words from the video he had just deleted?

I racked my brain, trying to remember all the words I had taught him.

_Monk... Father... Mother... Sister... Brother... Family... House... Apple... Horse... Cat... Dog... Mouse... Cheese... Pizza... Ghost... Spirit... Haunting... Night... Day... Dark... Light... Evil... Good... Mate... Friend... Friendship... Reality... _

I felt a frown twist onto my lips - I _knew_ I was forgetting words, words that I had taught him. Words he had asked to teach him. Words that had just popped into my head. Words that made sentences.

_Music... Lyrics... It's... Nice... To... Meet... You... Where... Is... The... Bathroom... Left... Right... Door... Help..._

I sent a hard look to the back of his head - were those words worth worrying about? How much had he retained? How much could he guess at? Would he tell the others? What all did he think he knew? How much of it was wrong?

How much of it was right?

-X-

When Lin and Naru returned and none of us had anything more to report, we knew we had hit another brick wall.

I had worked hard to assure the others that what we had covered up had nothing to directly effect the case. It was just her freaking out because I was sick and Monk had sorta-kinda stripped me. A fact that I had chosen to ignore.

That was harder than it sounded.

Lin was listening to audio, Naru was looking over whatever notes he had taken. Mai and Monk had taken to playing a card game while Ayako watched. I took up a spot by the window, my book once more in my hands. The light was fading and a light snow fall had started again. It was strange, because this time of the year there was generally more rain showers than snow falls. I caught myself standing and watching the pond - searching for her red jacket.

I hadn't even noticed that the room had gotten quiet until, "John?"

"Hmm?" I dragged my attention back to the group. "What?"

"We're going to take temperature readings." Naru decided, "Because of the weather constantly changing outside, its hard to discern if the temperature fluctuations are from the heaters or the spirit."

"She has a name."

He looked up sharply from his work, "What?"

"I said, she has a name. Why hasn't anyone been using it? Her name is Kayla." I marked my place in my book, noticing Naru's eyes lingering on its cover. "Its not a crime to use her name. Its not forbidden. Its just downright cruel, talking about her as if she's just some nameless creature haunting without a purpose or mind of her own."

He stared at me for what felt like an eternity, but I didn't squirm under his hard gaze. "Fine. We don't know if Kayla is behind all of this."

-X-

Mai and I were in Tamari's office, trying to locate where her heating system fed into the office. We started high and slowly worked our way around the room. Finally, we found the black, orient vent behind a large oak bookshelf. It had been a struggle between the two of us to move it - even after we took off almost all the books. Face it, we're both short and I wasn't feeling one hundred percent yet.

I knelt down as she handed over the flashlight. I bent and peered into the darkness, and blinked in shock. My voice sounded funny to my own ears, "Mai. Find me a screw driver. Now."

Inside the grate, covered with dust and cobwebs, was what looked like a stack of papers.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


	16. March Day 4 Part 2

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

_**A/N**_: Turns out, I wasn't sick. My appendix decided it didn't like me anymore - sorry, John - and I totally lost traction with the story...I'm really sorry. Again, a short chapter. :( This sucks.

* * *

I twisted and twisted and twisted - the ache in my wrist returning with a fiery vengeance - because whoever had put the screws in last hadn't done an even halfway decent job of it. Dust and rust had set in, making it give an ear splitting creak when they popped off one by one. When they all were out, I latched onto the grate - fingers being bitten by the rust - and heaved. Metal scraping metal sounded throughout the room as Mai watched.

When it finally gave, I propped it against the wall. I picked the light back up and shined it in, reaching for the papers. Movement caught my eye and I flinched back when I realized it was a black widow. After it scuttled off a little ways, I shot my hand in and grabbed the papers before I could second guess my judgment._ It was a freakin' black widow._ I didn't even know that Japan had those things. I jumped to my feet, taking it over to the desk for better light.

"Well...what is it?" Mai asked, leaning in close.

"Not sure," I replied. I blew on it, scattering a thick cloud of dust into the air. It sent us both coughing and my eyes were stinging. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve before focusing back onto the paper. "Whatever it is, someone hadn't wanted it found. Probably Tamari."

"Tamari?" Mai's head shot up and she whipped around to face me. "But why? What gotten into your head, telling you that Tamari is somehow involved?"

"Kayla said that she wasn't even allowed to call home, Mai." The papers were in a manila file, "And she had disappeared just five years ago. Tamari's been the principal and dean for twice that long."

Mai blinked, her fist near her mouth as she thought over what I said. Biting her lip, she looked to the floor and I knew I had won - but there wasn't any pride in the fact. I picked it up and we made our way back to Base - it'd be better to collaborate as we looked through this. The stack wasn't big, but it did hold some weight - like it had been important but was meant to be erased, to be forgotten.

-X-

I jolted when a small metal box was tossed onto the table from over my shoulder. It flung dirt and grass across the table top, onto the papers I had just spread out. It was dented, encrusted with muck and had a dull gleam. There was a small padlock that held it shut. I looked over my shoulder to see Monk and Lin.

"Good. Now let's go over what we've found." Naru's voice brought our attention onto him, "We needed permission to dig up around and on the fountain, Father John. It was part of the school's property and easily damageable. But it looks like you and Mai also found something."

I nodded, "We found these papers hidden in an air vent, behind a bookcase, in Tamari's office. We haven't looked through them yet."

"And we haven't been able to brake the padlock yet." Monk sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. The poor guy looked exhausted - and it wasn't the first time I had realized how easy the others had had it growing up. I could run days on just a few hours of sleep. Up to two weeks, actually. I had a dislocated wrist, cuts and bruises and had gotten sick - Hell, I was thrown through a window and fell into ice water - but Monk looked to be the one who had had the worse end of the deal. His hair was messy, he had bags under his eyes and was pale.

Maybe he was sick?

I put my boot on the chair and pulled a small black pouch out of my boot's top. I opened it up, revealing a neat line of silver utensils. Mai moved closer, "What is that?"

"A thief's key." Ayako said. Her voice held an accusation, a suspicion, a fear. A sharp tension filled the room, making it almost suffocating. I set to work on the padlock, inserting two of the silver items and listening,_ feeling_, the tumblers.

"I don't understand." Mai's words were slow.

"She means its a lock picking kit." Lin explained, "Its the trademark of thieves. This kit can let anyone - who knows what they're doing - get just about anywhere. I don't even know how someone can get their hands on them, let alone ones of that quality."

"John?" Mai's voice was very soft. She was willing to understand, ready to believe that there was a good, pure reason as to why I had it. Me. Father John Brown.

I chuckled with a smile, lying, "I've made a nasty habit of leaving my keys in the jeep and locking myself out. Its quicker than waiting for someone to show up just to break my window and leave me with a monstrous bill from two companies."

"Oh." She laughed, eyes alight with amusement.

But I knew the others didn't believe me.

The tumblers caught and it popped open. I pulled it off and flipped it open. I could feel the grimace crawling across my face as I took in what I was seeing and the God awful smell that came with it. Naru demanded, "What's inside?"

I slowly poked around, gently prodding things as I figured out what they were. "A cat's skeleton, Kayla's student ID, a pouch of herbs, some crystals and a photo."

The skeleton had rotting flesh sticking to the bones, bits of muscle and tendon. Kayla's photo ID drew my fingers and I put it on the table, her smile very gentle and more than a little nervous. The pouch was brown, with a red ribbon to tie it close - shiny, Christmas-like ribbon. Ribbon meant to tie bows on presents for friends and family. Ribbon meant to be saved for the following year, or be hung up for a smile on a rainy day. The crystals were clear, with a pinkish hue - quartz crystal, if I wasn't mistaken.

I picked up the photo.

"Well?" Monk asked.

I turned it for the others to see. The picture had been scratched apart - or, the faces were. I couldn't tell who they had been, only that one was defiantly female because of the long dress and the other could be male because of the hands. "I think Kayla wanted only to kill two people. The rest of the injuries were for those who didn't believe her."

"Right." Ayako said. "She wanted the attacker to be killed and wanted for the others to remember her, to realize that she was telling the truth."

I looked down at the papers - speckled with dirt and web, they were few in number.

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**Please Review! **


End file.
